House of Balloons
by Pooter05
Summary: Life is filled with ups and downs. Good days and the bad. Alena Martinez knew from experience that nothing would be easy. Especially when a baby is involved. However, despite the negatives, Alena can only hope for the best as she pushes her way through her final year at Hogwarts.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize, I truly wish I owned Harry Potter and if I did then I'd be living the dream. But alas I don't and it all belongs to JKR. **

Cold wind whipped through the trees as shivers ran down Alena's back. Winter had begun and soon enough the Holidays would come around and everyone would be leaving to see their families. Alena shivered as another breeze hit her, so she tugged her jacket closer to try and keep some warmth on her body.

The only reason she outside was because she desperately needed air. The castle was practically suffocating her. Madame Hodges words echoed through her head; reminding her she needed to start being careful and taking better care of herself now that she's going to have a baby.

Baby. Just the word alone made Alena feel faint and have her heart drop. She wasn't ready for a child, though she loved kids, now was not the time to have them. And now in seven months, she would have her own bundle of joy that will grow up calling her mami. Oh the irony of the entire situation. Alena may not have been a goody good, but she never expected herself to do something this ridiculous and stupid.

Shivering once more, Alena decided it was time to go inside before she got sick and would have to listen to Loren's scolding of how irresponsible she had been. Responsibility. Alena hated the word; she was the most irresponsible one in the entire group. Following expectations and rules were not Alena's favorite activities. This is probably how she ended up in this predicament. Soon enough, Alena began to walk back to the castle, her head swarming with thoughts.

No more Slytherin parties, no more dancing on tables, no more midnight snog sessions, no more reckless fun. All the things she would be giving up: freedom, youth, Seventh Year memories, and none of it she would ever get back. But of course, it wasn't going to be all bad.

Maybe this is the change she always needed, her chance to finally become a better person and to just grow up. Pretty soon she would graduate and enter the adult word; her brothers were always telling her it was time she acted like an adult and not a stupid teenager. Perhaps this was her chance to do that and become the person everyone wanted her to be.

Then again, Alena wishes it wasn't a baby that makes her change but instead that she did it for herself; in the end, none of it really mattered, she would begin her new chapter in life now and she wasn't going to muck it up.

"Alena!" A voice shouted, causing her to break free from her thought and turn around to see who called.

"Where've you been?" Veronica Tarin questioned as she eyed her friend curiously. Nobody had seen Alena all day and usually that's normal except today was Sunday and Alena always spent Sundays with her friends or younger sister.

"Oh I've just been out, walking around and trying to clear my head," Alena said casually as she and Veronica began to walk in sync.

Veronica furrowed her eyebrows in concern, "Is everything alright? You wanna talk about it?"

Alena laughed loudly, "I'm fine darling, just school stress and other nonsense like that."

"You sure?" Veronica questioned, it was normal for Alena to block everyone out and keep things to herself. Which Veronica hated because she wanted Alena to tell her the truth and come to her when she needed someone.

"Positive. Now tell me, where is everyone at?" Alena said nonchalantly, easily changing the subject so she wouldn't have to lie to her best mate.

"Probably heading to the Great Hall, it is dinner time."

"Great! I'm starving!" Alena said excitedly as they turned in the direction heading towards the magnificent dining room.

Veronica chuckled loudly, "When aren't you hungry?"

"Shut it you! I enjoy food because it's delicious and reliable!" Alena said indignantly as she nudged Veronica in the side playfully.

"I swear you're gonna start getting fat one of these days," Veronica commented as they walked through the giant oak doors of the Great Hall.

Alena stopped abruptly, her heart hammering as she looked at Veronicas walking figure, whom hadn't realized Alena had stopped. Without thinking, Alena turned on her heel and quickly shuffled out of the Great Hall and broke into a sprint once the area was clear.

Though Veronica only meant it as a joke, her words still disturbed Alena greatly, mainly because of how true it was. Alena felt her heart race and slowly came to a stop as she leaned on a wall and waited to catch her breath, though she may be slim, Alena was not very athletic and running was not one of her strengths.

All of a sudden, the feeling that the world was spinning out of control and that she could do nothing about it, made Alena feel hopeless and alone. Finally, after calming herself down, she decided to it was best to go the Kitchens just to avoid confrontation with her friends about her weird behavior. How she was going to keep her pregnancy a secret from them was beyond her.

They were the nosiest buggers in the entire school. Especially the father. Merlin, Alena couldn't even think about telling him, he would be the hardest and most concerned no doubt. Eventually, Alena made it to the Kitchens without even noticing she was walking, she knew her way around the school like the back of her hand; solely, because her friends loved to cause trouble and because she was constantly out late.

Alena tickled the pear and entered the kitchen to see a sight of bustling House Elves and trays of food lined up. Seeing the giant roasted turkey and mashed potatoes made her stomach growl and remind Alena exactly why she was there. Quickly, Alena took a seat at one of the tables placed in the corner for guests.

Immediately, a House Elf appeared and greeted her warmly, "Good evening Miss Martinez, how can Chappy help you?"

Alena smiled at the doe eyed elf, "I'll take some of the turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, and sliced ham," Alena paused and a surge of sickness filled her at the smell of ham, "Actually, no ham, the smell is too much and makes me nauseas."

Chappy's smile faltered, "But Chappy thought Miss Martinez loved ham?"

Alena smiled sadly, "I did but not anymore," she said kindly but then quickly added, "maybe I'll like it again another time."

Chappy nodded hastily, "Of course Miss Martinez, Chappy will be back with your request in no time."

Smiling as she watched the elf scuttle away, Alena couldn't help but think how much she loves Chappy. He's been with her since she was an ickle First Year and her second oldest brother, Paul, showed her the Kitchens. In a way, they've grown up together and Chappy knows everything she likes and doesn't like, and sometimes Alena will even find herself confessing to Chappy about things she doesn't even tell her closest friends. Now she would have to tell him the biggest secret of all, she's with child.

Feeling a little sad that things were going to start changing, Alena wondered how everything else would change and how her body would adjust to her new living conditions. Soon enough, Chappy reappeared with the food and pumpkin juice in tow. Alena had to reassure Chappy that she was fine and didn't need anything else, before he finally left and went back to the other elves.

Alena ate her dinner in a peaceful silence, it felt nice being alone and eating a dinner that wasn't dominated by her friends obnoxious chatter and eating habits. Fred always did eat like a pig, in fact most of the Weasley children did and they often said it was a genetic habit. Alena also noted that she really wasn't alone anyways, there was a little life inside her now and she knew that she would do anything to protect him or her.

Slowly looking down at her stomach, Alena couldn't help smile as she rubbed her belly softly. Though she was completely crazy and stupid for getting knocked up in the first place, Alena felt happy and almost excited that she would be bringing a new life into the world. Nobody could take this moment away from her.

Quickly finishing her meal and saying goodbye to Chappy, Alena decided it was time to head back to the Gryffindor common room and face her friends and their demanding questions. Alena began to make her way back to the famous room, not even sure what time it was but not really caring either. As she turned the corner, a tall figure appeared and started walking towards her.

"Well if it isn't my favorite girl! Haven't seen you in the snake pit in a while babe," William Zabini said with a suggestive wink as he slung his arm around Alena's shoulders.

Alena looked up at him and smirked, "Guess I just don't have time for you anymore. I am a busy gal, school to tend and needs to fill."

"I hope that's not code for you've replaced me, my sweet Alena," William whispered seductively as he shoved her into the nearest wall and pressed himself against her.

Staring apprehensively at him, Alena tried to push William away but he didn't budge, "Maybe I have. Doesn't matter though. I'm not interested anymore Will and I won't be making any nighttime visits to you anytime soon."

William laughed loudly, "Don't kid yourself sweetheart, you could never resist my charm and I know how you love to fall to temptation. Besides it's been so long since we've been together, don't you think it's time we re-light our flame?" He whispered into her ear.

Alena smirked at him before finally shoving him off and moving away from him, "I told you, I'm done with that stupid shit. It's time to grow up Will."

Laughing once again, William smirked at Alena's walking figure; he always did have an attraction to the wild girl, "Keep telling yourself that Martinez. You'll come back, begging to be with me again! They always do."

Flipping the bird as she continued to walk, "In your dreams Zabini, go find another girl to screw with!" Alena called over her shoulder before turning the corner.

A smiled appeared on her face, though Zabini can act like a real prat, he really could be a decent guy and it was known that they used to fool around with another. Not because they loved each other but because it was fun and they enjoyed the chase. Alena was proud that she didn't fall for his passes like she usually would, already she was improving and she looked forward to her next challenge.

As soon as Alena entered the common room, she was bombarded by Dominique Weasley, one of the girls she dorms with and best mate.

"Where have you been?" Dominique demanded as she dragged Alena to the fireplace where all their friends lounge.

"Chill out Dom. I've been at the Kitchens and I just got done telling Zabini to shove off for good," Alena said as she took a seat next Fred Weasley, whom was shuffling a pack of Exploding Snap.

At the sound of this, James Potter turned his attention to Alena and his eyes focused on her only. If there was one girl James admired the most, it was Alena. Not only was she beautiful, she was smart and courageous too. As long as he knew her, there was nothing she wouldn't do once.

"Why didn't you come to the Great Hall? You were right behind me!" Veronica demanded as she waited impatiently for Fred to deal the cards, "C'mon Fred, let's play so Tiffany can show you up!"

"Hey! I am determined to win this game!" Fred said indignantly, as he passed out the cards and stared down at his hand with an inquisitive look.

Tiffany Vargas snorted loudly, "Please Fred, you haven't beaten me since Second Year and that was only because I had the flu that day and couldn't read my cards properly."

Alena grinned at her friends before settling her stare on the burning fire, "There was something I had to do and forgot about it till last minute."

"What was it?" Loren White asked as she placed a card down and grinned at Fred's upset expression; he was already losing.

"What is this? Twenty questions? Merlin I'm going to bed, I'll see you bints in the morning," Alena said as she stood up, ruffled Fred's hair and made her way towards the girls' staircase.

"I'll go with you! I'm done with my essay anyways. Make sure you keep it in good condition Richard!" Dominique said as she jumped up and ran ahead of Alena.

James suddenly stood up and followed after her, "Alena wait!"

Alena stopped and turned to look at him, butterflies erupted in her chest as he got closer, "Yes?" She questioned as he stopped right in front of her.

James looked around to make sure no one was listening, "Did you mean what you said? You told Zabini you were done with him for good?"

Smiling softly, Alena nodded slowly, "Yeah, yeah I did. I haven't been with him since summer anyways and it was about time I ditched him for good.

A smirk slowly appeared on James face, "Does that mean you're available to spend those nights with me now?"

Alena's face dropped; perhaps this was the time to tell him what's going on. But as soon as she was about to say something, Daniel Wood interrupted them.

"James! We're about to head upstairs; Fred got his ass kicked again! You coming?" Daniel called out as he packed up his books and avoided a pillow Fred threw at him.

James looked over his shoulder and grinned, "Yeah I'm coming," he said before looking at Alena expectantly.

Giving half a smile, "I'll guess we'll see," she said before turning around and heading up the stairs leaving a confused James at the bottom steps.

Alena entered the girls Seventh Year dormitories and shuffled to her bed which was on the farthest left and closest to the bathroom; this she noted would turn out to be a great thing since morning sickness would no doubt occur soon.

As Alena stripped off her clothing and threw on an old Quidditch shirt she stole from her brothers and a pair of pajama bottoms before dropping into her bed and pulling the covers up. Dom was already in bed sleeping, Sasha Bennington, another one of her roommates and friends was too. The others were still downstairs. Tugging the curtains closed, Alena laid down and let sleep take over her.

**A/N: I realize that this idea of a story is completely cliché and practically overused but alas here I am, writing a story based on it. I couldn't help myself and hopefully I mix up the usual and make it so that you want to read it! Thank you so much and I would greatly appreciate it if you left a review. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

A week had passed since Alena had first received the news that she was pregnant. Morning sickness hadn't hit her yet which she was very thankful for because she wasn't sure if she was ready for her friend's questions. Unfortunately though, Dominique already knew something was up. She and Alena spent most of their time together; therefore, she could always notice a change in her best mates' behavior.

"Are you gonna tell me what's going on anytime soon? Or am I just gonna have to wait it out with everyone else?" Dominique questioned Thursday afternoon as she and Alena walked back to their common room for their free period.

Alena glanced over at her and smirked, "What are you on about Dommie?"

Dominique rolled her eyes, "Don't try to play coy with me Lena; I know something is going on. It's just a matter of time before I figure it out. Or you can be the good best mate that you are and just tell me so I don't have to go digging around your stuff."

Laughing loudly, Alena turned the corner, Dom right behind her, "You're mad. And if you touch my things, I 'll be sure to hex you into next term," she said warningly.

It was Dominique's turn to laugh out loud, "Fine I won't, but please tell me what's going on Lena. You know I hate being left in the dark about these kinds of things."

Shrugging carelessly, Alena pushed herself up the stairs. A part of her told her to just tell Dom and get it over with it but the other half screamed no. Now was not the time and she knew that Dominique had a big mouth and wouldn't be able to keep it a secret for long. Alena loved her like she was family, but this wasn't the time nor place to start revealing life changing secrets.

"Like I said before Dommie, you're mad and better just let it go," Alena commented as she came to a stop in front of the portrait of the fat lady who looked down at them expectantly.

"Fine," Dom grumbled with annoyance as she crossed her arms with a huff.

Alena rolled her eyes at Dominique's childish antics, and then looked up at the portrait curiously. "Whomping Willow," she called out before the fat lady could ask for the password. Alena wasn't in the mood to make idle conversation with the obnoxious painting.

The portrait door swung up and Alena quickly climbed in, ignoring the constant sighs that Dominique kept giving her. "Keep it up, and I'll smack you with my charms book," Alena called over her shoulder as they fully entered the common room. Dominique glared at her best mates shoulder but said nothing as they walked over to the fireplace.

"Hey Freddy," Alena said as she took a seat on the large cushioned couch and propped her feet up on the table. Fred was currently on the ground, scribbling furiously as he rushed to finish his Herbology essay that was due next period. Longbottom would murder him if he didn't have it done. The Professor already gave him and his cousins enough slack when it came to the trouble they caused around the castle; the least he could do was turn in his work.

"Shh, can't talk. Must write. Plants. And poisons spikes," Fred muttered as he flipped through his Herbology textbook and looked for the notes that Loren had lent him.

Dominique laughed as she took a seat in the armchair across from Alena, "Wonder where Vero is. She's usually done with Divination by now."

Alena shrugged as she pulled out her Transfiguration essay that wasn't due till next week but wanted to get a head start on it. "Not sure. But she'll pop up eventually."

"Done!" Fred shouted with glee, causing the two girls to jump from the loud noise. Fred slammed his book shut and grinned madly.

"Well done Freddy. You managed to finish a half-arsed essay that was assigned two weeks ago, in what, two hours?" Dominique said sarcastically as she pulled out a nail file. She wasn't interested in doing homework during her break, besides the only thing she had left to do was the newly assigned Charms homework and that could certainly wait.

Fred slapped Dominiques' leg in annoyance, "It was actually four hours and it isn't half-arsed. I put some true dedication into those words."

Snorting loudly, Alena looked at Freddy questionably, "Get real Fred. The only thing you really dedicate yourself to is Quidditch, the joke shop, and Potions class."

"True words," Fred finally said with a shrug and half smile as he stood up and stretched out his body. He felt like he had been laying on the ground for over a century.

"Wait, if you were working on it for four hours does that mean you blew off your other classes. Again?" Dom questioned as she stared at Fred inquisitively, whom just smirked at her.

"I had to get it done! Don't look at me like that Dom! Longbottom would've been pissed if I didn't turn it in today," Fred argued as he took a seat next to Alena and swung his arm around the back of the couch.

"And you think your other Professors were happy that you missed their class?" Alena asked as she looked for a decent quill or at least a Muggle pen.

"Well I'm sure class was much more manageable without me, you know Goldstein hates me. The man yells at me and James for just breathing in his class," Fred noted as he rubbed his eyes lazily. All the hard work he had put into his essay had made him drowsy.

"This is very true. For some reason he can't stand any of us except maybe Vero and Alena," Dom commented as she went back to filing her nails down. They sat in a brief moment of silence, but it soon ended when a commotion came from the portrait hole.

"Looks like our mates are here," Alena said wryly as she flipped through the notes she had recently taken and underlined the sentences she wanted to use.

"Daniel leave him alone! I can date whoever I want! You and James have no say in who I snog!" Tiffany cried indignantly as she stormed into the common room, throwing her things down in a huff as she took a seat in the chair next to Dom.

"No! We have every right. We're your best mates and only want the best for you!" Daniel shouted back as he came in next, James and Loren right behind him who were whispering animatedly. Those two talking is what caught Alena's attention. She didn't know that Loren and James shared secrets together and it made her wonder what they could possibly be talking about in such hushed tones.

"Wrong! I can and will date Humphrey Jacks! And that is the end of this argument," Tiffany said firmly.

"Wait! You're snogging Jacks? Why the hell would you go out with that Hufflepuff scum?" Fred scoffed loudly, clearly confused as to why Tiffany would stoop to Jacks level when she could clearly do better than him.

"Thank you Fred m'boy for seeing my point!" Daniel cheered loudly as he gave him one of their secret handshakes that all those boys knew.

Tiffany growled in frustration, "He's not scum. Humphrey is a good bloke! You idiots are just too blind to see it."

"Well then bring him to the table at lunch and we will all make a valid judgment of the bloke if he means that much to you," Dom said as she looked up at her friend.

Pondering the idea, Tiffany finally shrugged, "I don't see why not. But as long as the boys promise not to try and scare him off the minute we sit down. They need to be cordial and decent to him at least."

"Hey we are decent people! In fact I've been told to be quite a catch," James finally added to the conversation, as he and Loren had finally stopped whispering to each other.

Alena laughed, "Your fan club doesn't count as people. They'll compliment you on anything."

James frowned but it quickly changed to a smirk as he shoved her legs out of the way and took a seat in-between them. Ignoring all of her complaints about being rude. Without thinking, he began to rub her legs while the debate continued on whether Humphrey Jacks was a decent bloke or not. Alena felt tingles run up her leg from where James touched her but she didn't stop him. It felt incredibly soothing.

"Alright fine, we'll be 'decent blokes' to him and we'll give the bugger a chance. But if he does something to mess it up then it's not our fault if we take the mickey out of him," Daniel finally conceded as he was tired of arguing.

"Alright deal!" Tiffany agreed, her temper cooling down, and instead she became nervous at the thought of inviting Humphrey to come sit with them. It wasn't that they weren't a friendly bunch; she just knew how intimidating they can come off to everyone.

"Has anyone seen Vero? It isn't like her to take this long to get back from class," Alena finally questioned as she looked around the room for the missing member of their close group.

A round of "Nopes," chorused through the group, making Alena frown as she wondered where Veronica could possibly be right now.

"Well I have to get to class, but if I see her on my way to the Greenhouses then I'll tell her that you're looking for her," Fred said as he packed up his books and essay.

"Is it already time for class again?" Dom grumbled as she too stood up and grabbed her things. She, Freddy, and Loren all had Herbology together which they were incredibly grateful for.

"Unfortunately," Loren whined as she picked up her bag and headed for the exit, the other two right behind her as they called out quick goodbyes.

"I'm gonna go look for Humphrey. I'll see you guys at lunch," Tiffany finally said as she too stood up and threw her satchel over her shoulder.

Daniel smirked as he watched Tiffany head for the exit, "Tell Jacks I can't wait to meet him!" She returned his comment with the middle finger as she walked out the hole. Daniel laughed as he stood up and glanced over at James and Alena who were lost in their own little world. He decided it would be best to leave them alone considering he knew of James ever growing crush on their precious Alena.

"I'll just leave you two to be," Daniel said as he ran up the boys dormitory stairs before they could stop him.

Alena watched him leave quickly before glancing up at James who smiled back at her. In less than ten minutes, all their friends had left, leaving the common room practically empty besides the occasional Third or Fourth year coming in to exchange books for their next class.

"Well what to do now?" James murmured as he pulled himself up and took a seat next to Alena, pushing her essay to the side and pulling her legs up on his lap. They were incredibly close and Alena could see the specks of green float around in his hazel eyes.

"I don't know, you tell me," Alena whispered back as she moved closer to James so that their noses were practically touching. In a flash he had leaned down and captured her lips with his own. Running his hand through her tangled locks and trying to pull her even closer without suffocating each other.

Alena moaned into his mouth as she wrapped her hand around his neck and kissed him back. They first began to see each other at the beginning of term. Alena wasn't sure how it happened or when, but she was glad it did. James made her feel beautiful and as if she was the only girl in the world that mattered to him. Both had a reputation for fooling around with people around the castle, yet somehow they had become loyal and committed to only each other.

They began to snog heatedly; whether everyone in their circle knew that the two were seeing each other was unknown, but it's not as if they kept it as a big secret. The only thing they hadn't done was declare that they were an exclusive couple; an idea that Alena and James both liked tremendously but neither knew how to approach the subject so they just left it unsaid.

Alena quickly pulled away and grinned up at James, "I have class in fifteen minutes," she said in between pecks that she placed on his jaw line. James grinned at her grabbed her chin before pushing his lips back on hers. Enjoying every moment he could with her before they had to return to class.

Eventually, Alena managed to get out of his grip and off the couch before James could snog her some more, "Oh c'mon Lena, you can't just leave me like that," James whined as he stood up and wrapped his arms around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder.

At that moment, Alena felt pure bliss; she couldn't imagine a better moment for them. But as quickly as it came, her happiness came crashing down and disappeared. She was pregnant. At that moment a baby was growing inside of her and would eventually come out and she would be responsible of taking care of him or her. Her pulse quickened, as Alena tried to get out of James grip and made a grab for her things.

James, who was thoroughly confused with Alena's sudden strange behavior, wondered what could have possibly happened in the last fifteen minutes they were together. One minute they were snogging and then the next she was practically running way. "Lena? What's wrong?" He called after her as he quickly picked up his own book bag and chased after her.

"Nothing James, I need to go," Alena whispered hoarsely, her voice suddenly going dry as she swiftly went out the portrait hole. James hot on her heels.

"Bullshit. Alena stop," James cried as he grabbed her wrist, bringing her to a sudden stop and jolting her into his chest.

"Please James," Alena whispered desperately as she tried to remove his tight grip from her arm. "I need to go, now let me loose," she said as she smacked at his hand but he wouldn't budge.

"Look at me," James commanded, making Alena to look up at him slowly, her eyes scanning his as he looked at her intently. "What's wrong?"

Alena gulped, now was not the time to tell him. She needed to get to class and then maybe she would plan a better moment for where they can sit down and discuss this in private. She certainly didn't plan on telling him in the corridor in front of the Gryffindor common room.

"James I—"Alena found herself beginning but she didn't know what to say so she stopped. James deserved to know. He had to know, just not right now.

"I'm not letting you go till you give me a real answer Alena," James said warningly. He had noticed her behavior changing slowly. For some reason she had become more reserved and hardly left the Gryffindor common room anymore unless it was for class. James didn't know why but he was determined to find out.

Huffing with annoyance, Alena quickly looked around to make sure nobody was snooping or that there wasn't an eavesdropping portrait nearby. She then tugged his hand and pulled him to the side, away from anyone that could possibly walk by.

"I'm pregnant James," Alena said in a quick whisper, her eyes scanning his face quickly as she searched for some kind of reaction. However, he just stared at her in pure shock. The words pregnant ringing in his ears. "And before you can get your knickers in a twist, yes the baby is yours," Alena finished off before finally pulling her wrist free from his grasp and stepping away.

It was James' turn to be dumbstruck. The girl he could very well be in love with was pregnant with his child. Well this was a turn of events for him. James was expecting some type of family trouble, considering Alena didn't always get on well with her brothers. But definitely not this.

"Well say something!" Alena spat out after five minutes of silence. She knew he'd be in shock, which is exactly why she didn't want to tell him yet. Rolling her eyes, Alena huffed as she shuffled with her bag, "I need to get to Runes, and so you stand here like a statue and figure out what to say when I get back." With that she turned on her heel.

James was almost angry that she left so suddenly but then a surge of relief filled him knowing he didn't have to say or agree to anything just yet. Merlin, he wasn't ready to have a child yet. Hell, he still was a child! His birthday was just a couple months ago and now he was supposed raise a baby. He wasn't sure how he'd be able to do such a thing. The rest of his Seventh Year would definitely not go the way he planned now.


	3. Chapter 3

The final bell rang, signaling all students that it was time for them to go to lunch. Alena slowly packed up her belongings, nervous for the encounter that would take place during lunch with James. Knowing him well, he'd probably be frustrated that she just left him in the halls and most likely yell at her; but, she really needed to get to class. Although, telling him she was pregnant was probably more dire then attending Ancient Runes with the Hufflepuffs; however, Alena just really needed a reason to get away.

Finally, Alena picked up her leather satchel and swung it over her shoulder, deciding that if she moved any slower then she would be considered a snail and no doubt questioned about her weird behavior. The halls were slightly packed as Alena stepped out the classroom. Students rushed to get to the Great Hall so that they could find good seats and catch up with their friends. Alena smiled at a small group of First Years that huddled together with large grins on their faces; probably talking about a new spell they mastered.

First Year was still fresh in her mind as if it had happened last week. She hadn't been entirely nervous for her older brothers Paul and Michael were already there and told her all about Hogwarts. Nonetheless the thought of being sorted into a house away from her siblings had frightened her. In the end, she was sorted into Gryffindor with her newfound friends that she had met on the train ride; while her brother Paul, who was older by two years, a Ravenclaw and Michael, who was the eldest by four years, a Slytherin. Her brothers had happily congratulated her on her sorting and that was the first time Alena had ever seen them really proud of her.

Breaking away from her thoughts, Alena turned the corridor and followed the path towards the Great Hall. Fred, Dom, and Loren are sure to be there already for Fred hates being last to eat and usually drags the other two with him. Alena wasn't entirely sure if James would be there yet, she secretly hoped that he wasn't though, just so she wouldn't have to deal with him right away and actually get a chance to eat a little bit.

"Hey Alena!" A voice called out, causing Alena to stop and turn to see who called. Sasha Bennington ran towards her with a grin on her face.

"Oh hey Sasha," Alena said casually as she smiled at the blonde haired girl. Sasha wasn't exactly close to the group like everyone else, but Alena still considered her a good friend. The girl had been there for Alena when she was going through a rough patch with her other roommates back in Third Year.

"How's it goin? Feels like it's been forever since we've caught up," Sasha said as they walked together, moving past anyone that stepped in their way.

Alena grinned, "We have been quite busy. We'll definitely need to make a girls night down to the kitchens and catch up. But I've been good."

A smirk filled Sashas' face, "I bet you are. You and Potter seem to have gotten real cozy with each other this year; care to share the details on that?" She asked with a waggle to her eyebrows, making Alena laugh loudly.

"Oh yeah, I guess you could say we have something going on. Honestly though, I don't know what it is. We haven't exactly sat down and discussed it," Alena replied softly, her eyes creasing with thought. Was she really going to have a baby with somebody that she wasn't even in a real relationship with? Well that's disappointing.

"Ooo well tell me what happens between you two! I see Alex so I'm gonna go catch up with him," Sasha called out as she dashed over to the Ravenclaw table once they entered the Great Hall. Sasha and Alex had been together for almost three years now, and Alena thought they were the most adorable couple at Hogwarts.

Scanning the room, Alena took notice that like she had predicted earlier, Fred, Dom, and Loren were there but as well as Veronica and Daniel. Thankfully, James was nowhere to be seen; therefore, Alena took off down the aisle towards her friends. Eyeing Veronica carefully, Alena took a seat across from her. Veronica looked up and gave her a shaky smile.

"Hi Alena," Veronica said with as much causality she could muster. She knew Alena was examining her, looking for any signs to tell where she had been during break.

"What's up with you?" Dom asked as she shot glances between Vero and Alena; she really hated being left out of the loop. Dominique felt the constant need to know what was happening with her friends at all times.

"Nothing," Alena and Vero said at the same time, causing Alena to smirk over at her and then glance at Loren who was talking to Fred about the next Quidditch match.

"Why is it that someone is always talking about Quidditch around here?" Alena grumbled as she placed a turkey sandwich on her plate and grabbed herself a bowl of soup.

Daniel grunted in response before saying, "We're Gryffindor. And three members of the team are sitting with you now, plus you're snogging the Captain, what do you expect?"

At the sound of snogging, everyone looked over at Alena and smirked, clearly they did know about her James getting together; wait till they find out about the baby she could only think bitterly. Before she could make a retort, James arrived.

"Well I'm glad I didn't miss that announcement. Thanks Daniel, for making it clear to our friends that I and Alena are in fact dating," James said sarcastically as he threw his legs over the bench and took a seat as close as possible to Alena.

"Hey Lena," he whispered softly into her ear as he grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. He had a lot of time to think things over after Alena left him in the corridor. Why it took it so long for him to figure it out before he didn't know, but James knew for a fact that he would stay by Alena's side no matter what.

"We're dating now?" She whispered back with an arch of her eyebrows, and a small smile appearing on her face as she pecked James on the lips. Both deciding to ignore the gagging sounds that their friends made.

"You both make me vomit," Loren commented dryly, as she looked around the room. "Hey! Where's Tiffany? Isn't she supposed to be here with Jacks?"

"That's right! We're meant to meet her new Hufflepuff!" Daniel cried as he too began to search the hall for any sign of their missing friend.

"Tiff is dating Jacks? When did this happen?" Vero asked with bewilderment as she looked at her friends for an answer; her face giving a slight twitch as she grabbed for more fruit.

"Well maybe if you showed up to the common room like you were supposed to then you would know what was going on," Alena said sharply as she took a bite of her soup. Not missing the shaky sings that Veronica was obviously showing.

Veronica shrugged carelessly, her eyes looking around the room and at everything other than Alena. If she looked at her directly, she knew Alena would be able to figure out what she was doing and who she was with. Alena had a weird sense like that; which, frustrated most of the girls because they could never keep a secret from her.

"Where were you?" James asked as he began to sense the tension forming between Alena and Vero, he squeezed Alena's hand reassuringly as he filled up his own plate.

"Oh I was just dropping a book off at the Library," Vero said as casually as she could. Alena's eyes narrowed and she was about to call her a liar when at that exact moment, Tiffany decided to show up with Humphrey in tow.

"Look who I brought!" Tiffany said cheerfully as she greeted her mates and glared at Daniel, whom shot her thumbs up. "Everyone this is Humphrey, Humphrey these are my friends."

A boy that was barely taller than Tiffany appeared from behind, his blonde hair stood up with gelled spikes, his skin was a light tan, and he wore a lazy grin on his face. "Hello," he said brightly as he took a seat next to Tiffany, who sat next to Loren whom was across from Daniel. They were a tight bunch after all.

"Welcome Jacks. You've dared to sit with the Gryffindor's and now we'll see just how much of a Hufflepuff you really are!" Daniel praised loudly, earning himself a kick from under the table. He wasn't entirely sure if it came from Loren or Tiffany. For all he knew, it was from both.

"Uh okay?" Humphrey said unsurely as he looked around at the big group. His friends had called him mad for even thinking about dating a Gryffindor, let alone Tiffany Vargas who was most definitely out of his league. But, he liked her and he believed they could actually stand a chance. If he made it past her friends of course.

"So tell us about you," Fred began as he stuffed another bacon sandwich into his mouth. Bacon was probably the best meat to be served at Hogwarts and Fred found himself needing it with every meal he had.

Soon the group began questioning Humphrey on what his favorite team was, why he was with Tiffany, who was the better House. Normal questions that caused him to stutter and looked at Tiffany hesitantly. Meanwhile, Alena kept on watching Vero who was unusually quiet and played with her food.

"We need to talk after lunch," James whispered in her ear, making her jump and look at him surprisingly.

"Okay," she agreed and squeezed his hand back before looking back towards Veronica who was now standing up and grabbing her things. "Where are you going?" She demanded to know.

Veronica hurried to throw her bag over her shoulder, "I need to stop by the tower and grab my Potions book, I'll see you later," she muttered quickly as she tried to run out the room.

Alena rolled her eyes as she shot up and followed after her quickly, ignoring James protest to come back. Vero was already out the door and down the hall by the time Alena got to the entrance.

"Vero!" She shouted at the girl, who froze in her tracks and slowly looked over her shoulder at Alena. Of course, Alena was going to follow her and question her disappearance that was just the kind of person Alena was.

"Uh yes?" She called weakly as Alena stormed towards her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her sleeve up and gripping it tightly. On her bare white skin, lay small track marks from where a needle had poked through her skin.

"Care to explain to me what these are from?" Alena hissed, already knowing the answer that Veronica was shooting up again with Joseph Green, Hogwarts number one druggie resident.

Vero glared angrily as she slapped Alena's hand away and pulled her sleeve back down, "No I don't. And I'm not saying it aloud Lena. So what if I did it! It was just this time, no big deal!"

"Just this time huh? If I recall correctly, I believe you said the same thing to me last week and the week before that," Alena snapped. Watching her friend destroy herself was not on her goal list. Alena loved Vero and only wanted the best for her.

"You're not my mother, I can do what I want," Vero snapped angrily as she moved away from the raven haired girl.

"You're right, I'm not. And if she was here I'm sure she'd do the same thing. I am your best mate Veronica and this needs to stop. You're doing too much and gonna end up killing yourself," Alena pleaded as she tried to reason with Veronica on the fact that what she's doing is wrong.

Veronica ignored her as she turned on her heel, "It's my life Alena, stay out of it." Then she was gone, and Alena was left standing in the hall angrily. This wasn't the first time that they fought over Veronica's constant use of drugs. In fact, it's probably the fourth or fifth. Alena wasn't sure why Vero felt the need to use something that needed to be injected in the body, and she definitely couldn't understand what was happening to her friend.

Turning around, Alena decided it was best to let the argument go for now and return to James so they could have their talk. Merlin, it felt like a century had passed today and it was barely lunch. Pretty soon the bell would ring and signal to everyone that it's time for the rest of their classes. Alena assumed that she and James would be skiving off the rest of their day.

"Is everything alright?" James probed as soon as Alena sat back down at the table. Noticing that Tiffany, Daniel, Jacks were missing from the group.

"Yeah just fine. What happened to the others?" Alena asked as she pushed away her plate, not feeling hungry anymore, and instead poured herself a goblet of water.

James smirked, "Well after you left, Jacks made the mistake of saying Daniel's a git for being too overbearing and needed to lie off of Tiffany. Daniel nearly choked him over the table and Tiffany yelled at the poor bloke for saying something so hurtful to her friends."

"Which pretty much means he's done for," Fred piped in as he wiped his mouth and burped aloud out of pure pleasure, "My oh my, lunch just keeps getting better and better. I had a food and show."

Dominique laughed loudly, as well as Alena before she asked, "So where did Daniel go?"

"Oh he stormed out the Hall, Tiffany behind him as she tried to apologize to him for Humphreys behavior and that next time she'll make sure she likes the bloke before he comes around to the group," Dominique said with a wave as she stood up and fixed her uniform. "Alright, well I'm off dearies, I need to go find myself a suitable date for Hogsmead next weekend."

"Why does she need a date? Doesn't she believe in the term stag?" Fred questioned as he watched Dom swivel her way towards the Ravenclaw table.

Alena chuckled loudly, "This is Dominique, she doesn't believe in doing anything alone. Let alone a Hogsmead trip by herself."

Fred frowned as he sat in silence. No one was really sure what he was thinking about and what made him so upset, but they didn't question it either. The thing about Fred is that he really isn't all laughter and pranks. He could be quite serious and times. Sure he enjoyed slacking off and messing about with his friends but what seventeen year old boy didn't? The in-depth he held about certain topics and the concern Fred felt for his family would astound people greatly if they ever found out. Alas though, Fred found it easier to just pretend that he was an easy going character that liked to joke around, it made things easier for him. Not many could take him serious anyways.

"As lovely as this lunch has been, really topnotch guys, I'm gonna head off to class," Loren finally said after a five minute of silence. Usually lunch is never this eventful, especially on a Thursday afternoon. "I'll see some of you in class and the rest well we'll meet up at dinner. Adios," she said with a wave as she walked out the Hall.

"You ready to go? I figured we could take up a spot down by the Blake Lake?" James inquired as he too started to stand up and gather his book bag.

"What is everyone leaving now?" Fred whined as he looked around the table and finally noticed that all his friends were missing. "Who am I gonna go to Potions with now?"

James grinned at him, "You'll be fine Freddy. Just partner up with a nice Claw. Or I'm sure Tiffany will be there. Sit by her."

Fred grumbled with complaints as he grabbed his bag, "You better be ditching me for a good reason! And snogging Alena by the lake doesn't qualify!"

Alena chuckled lightly, "Trust me Fred, that's not what we're going to be doing."

"She's right. It's much more than that," James said suggestively, earning himself a whack in the stomach as Alena stood up and scowled at him.

"Please don't make sexual innuendos while I'm still here. At least wait till I'm gone," Fred said dryly as he turned and started to walk out the Great Hall.

"You're impossible," Alena muttered as she was about to pick up her things but James quickly grabbed her bag and threw it over his shoulder. "Now what are you doing?"

"I'm carrying your stuff. Don't complain and just appreciate it," James said as he grabbed her hand and steered her towards the exit.

Alena noticed people glancing their way and looking at their entwined hands, no doubt everyone will have something to say about the newfound couple of Hogwarts. She just hoped that the rumors wouldn't bother James too much. The rumor mill at Hogwarts could be quite aggressive and hurtful when it came to talking about other students. Most the stuff said was untrue or mixed in with a bunch of lies so it sounded ridiculous. Gossip always bothered James, mainly because his family was the center and cause for most of it.

"I'm not incapable of holding my own stuff you know. But thanks, I guess," Alena said as they walked out the entry way and walked side by side towards the door that led to Hogwarts ground.

"I know you can do things on your own, I just want to help out," James commented as they moved around forming crowds of students that were heading to their new destination. "Care to share with me what happened between you and Vero?"

Mentally debating if she should tell him, Alena wasn't sure what to say. Nobody really knew about Vero's new addiction and how it was slowly destroying her. It wasn't exactly Alena's place to discuss her personal life with everyone, but then again James was their friend and now father of her child, Alena could trust him. She should trust him.

"I'm not sure if I'm really supposed to tell you or anyone for that matter. But let's just say that Vero is spending too much time with Green and joining 'extra-curricular' activities that she does not need," Alena said with sigh as she glanced at James warily who frowned deeply.

"And you're trying to help her?" He asked as they made it outside without anyone stopping them or questioning where they were going. James was pretty sure he knew what Alena was talking about and he didn't like the sound of it one bit.

"The best I can. But she's too stubborn to let me in and every time we start talking about it, I start yelling. So it's been very unsuccessful," Alena grumbled as they continued to walk down the hill towards the gleaming Blake Lake. The weather outside was lightly cold. Snow had yet to fall, which meant they were going to have a late winter this year. Thankfully, they were both smart enough to cast heating charms so they wouldn't have to worry about getting a cold.

"She'll come around. Vero is smart, she may be making a stupid decision right now but just step back and let her realize it herself. The more you push the more she'll pull away," said James as they finally came to a spot in front of the lake. It was more off to the side; therefore, if someone happened to look out the window in one of their classes then they wouldn't be able to see James and Alena skipping classes.

"I guess you're right. But it still kills me not being able to do anything about it," Alena muttered as she waved her wand and a large blanket appeared on the ground so that they wouldn't have to sit in the dirty sand.

"Being her friend is enough for now," James conceded as he took a seat and tugged Alena down with him. "Now we got bigger issues to worry about."

"Like the fact that I have a human being growing in my uterus?" Alena said jokingly as she looked out at the Blake Lake thoughtfully.

"Exactly. You pretty much blew me away when you told me in the corridor, which by the way I don't appreciate you leaving me—"

"You weren't saying anything! And I had to get to class," Alena cut in.

"Perhaps, but I'm sure there was a better way you could have said it," James countered.

"There was, but you said you wouldn't let me go if I didn't tell you what was wrong. Don't blame anything on me James," Alena scowled as she glanced over at him, whom was also staring out at the Black Lake.

"Alright. Let's not argue about this. The point is, it gave me time to think about what to do," James heaved with a sigh as he looked over Alena curiously.

"And what is that?"

"That I'm going to be here every step of the way, no matter how bad it gets. I refuse to leave your side Alena Martinez. We're in this together," James finally said, his eyes never leaving Alenas' as he spoke.

A large grin filled Alena's face as she took in what he just said, "Thank you," she whispered out as she launched into his arms and toppled him to the ground, a laugh escaping her mouth as she kissed him all over. James laughed as well as he squeezed her tightly and kissed her back. Alena pulled away, making her face centimeters away from him and smiled down at him.

"We're going to be parents," she whispered softly, a smile playing on her lips. James grinned up at her before flipping her over so that he was on top and she lay down on the blanket. Large callused hands wrapped around her back, slowly moving towards her waist.

Leaning down, James placed a trail of kisses on her neck, down to her collarbone, and then moved his hands towards the bottom of her coat, which had been unbuttoned earlier, and shirt that was currently tucked into her skirt. Tugging it up, James unbuttoned the last couple of buttons, showing the bottom half of Alena's stomach. Letting out a shiver, Alena watched him carefully, her head cocked to the side as she watched James continue to leave kisses on her body. Never has she been more thankful of heating charms otherwise there was no doubt that she would've froze from the cold wind.

Finally, he placed his lips on her stomach and kissed it lightly. Rubbing circles over it slowly. James stared at her stomach excitedly. There was a little baby inside, although it may just be a bunch of cells forming together now, it would soon form into something magnificent. A child.

"We're going to have a baby," James breathed out as he placed another kiss on her belly button. Alena let out a soft giggle as she sat up and grabbed James face, bringing his mouth back on hers.

For a while they just sat there, quietly discussing what life is going to be like for them now that they had a child on the way. They didn't want to talk about the multiple hardships that would no doubt occur. Only the good moments that would happen; there was still plenty of time to talk about the rest. However, for now, this moment was theirs.


	4. Chapter 4

A week has passed since Alena first announced her pregnancy to James. Since then, she's visited Madam Hodges to get a few pamphlets on young mothers, received several potions of prenatal bottles to help take care of the baby, and an appointment was made at St. Mungos so she could get an official sonogram of the baby done when it was time. Fitting the stress of school in with the new stress of a baby made Alena exhausted and drowsy about every day; however, a part of her was still incredibly excited for her unborn child. Soon her friends would start wondering what was up and would no doubt ask questions.

However, James and Alena both agreed that they had to tell their siblings first before their friends. Even though, their friends were practically family, it would be unfair to their brother and sisters. Alena's absolutely terrified of telling Paul and Michael. She knew they would want to murder James the moment they see him. Sabrina, Alena's younger sister by two years, however is a different story. They never really formed the close sister bond. Sure Alena tried to be the good older sister and help Sabrina out when she needed her, but Sabrina didn't come around that often unless she was in real trouble.

Which would happen every now and then, and it gave Alena the chance to actually share moments with her sister. Sabrina was in the Slytherin house, along with Albus, James younger brother. They happened to be a year apart and Alena wasn't even sure if the two talked at all. She knew that Scorpius, Albus best mate, and Alena's cousin who isn't really her cousin but pretends to be, keeps in touch with Sabrina, but that's really all she knew.

"Hey Lena," a voice whispered, causing Alena to jump in her seat and swivel around to see who had scared her. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed Will come up to her table in the Library.

"Don't do that!" She hissed with irritation as she playfully slapped him in his arm, yet she couldn't stop the grin filling her face. The relationship she had with William Zabini is incredibly complex. They had first started fooling around and getting close back in Fifth Year; when things were rough at home for the both of them and they couldn't turn to their friends for help because they simply wouldn't understand.

"Why, I did I scare you?" Will asked with a smirk as he leaned back into his chair casually, his face filling with a relaxed expression.

"Maybe," Alena said with a grin as she began to roll up her essay for Charms, she knew it was pointless to even try working on it now that Will was here.

"Where've you been lately? I haven't seen you in the common room in almost a month. Don't tell me Potter is keeping you away?" William questioned as he watched Alena intently. He knew something was up. Everything about Alena was changing and he wasn't entirely sure if it was good or not.

Alena looked at him questionably, "Why would James keep me away from the pit?" The pit was a nickname they had labeled the Slytherin common room, mainly because everyone thought it resembled a snake pit and it was easier to say. Plus, it described the room perfectly.

"You tell me. He is your boyfriend now. Is he intimidated by me?" William asked with an air of arrogance as he grinned widely at Alena's eye roll.

"Get over yourself. He doesn't tell me what to do, I make my own decisions," Alena huffed. The one thing she hated about relationships is when one thinks it's okay to tell the other what to do and to make all the decisions. Her belief that is was shared; they both decide what was right and what was wrong.

"So then you're purposely avoiding me? How un-Alena like of you," said Will as he looked around the Library and noticed the various students studying or scribbling away on their parchment. It was Sunday afternoon, thus not too many people were here; most were actually probably at lunch.

"No…I just have a lot on my mind. And I don't have time to go all the way down there just to visit," Alena murmured as she decided it was time to get out before Will started questioning what was going on. Just because they messed around with each other didn't mean they weren't friends. Alena genuinely cared about Will, no matter how much of an ass he could be and deep down she knew he felt the same for her. It was unfortunate that they could never actually work as a real couple. Last time they tried, things got complicated and Will had ended up hurting her.

"Care to share? I miss having you around," Will said softly as he touched her shoulder, causing Alena to flinch. That was definitely not a normal reaction to William Zabini's touch, but things were different now. She wasn't single anymore. She has James. Hell, she has a baby.

William didn't miss her flinch, and this made him frown deeply. "Alena—"he began but he was cut off by her standing up abruptly.

"Listen, I have to go. I promised to meet Sabrina for lunch. We can talk later," Alena said quickly as she threw her bag over her shoulder, glancing over at Will only to see his hurt expression. Her face quickly softened, "Thank you for caring Will. Really, though, everything is fine," and with that being said, she quickly took off.

Something was up, Will wasn't an idiot, and he'd be damned if he let Alena try to coax him into thinking that she was okay. He knew Alena quite well and could pick up on the signs when there was a problem. Will decided to make it his goal to figure out what was going on with Alena Martinez no matter what.

Meanwhile, Alena swiftly left the Library in search for her sister. Who she was in fact meeting with for lunch, so that wasn't a complete lie to William. Oh William, she hated the way he looked at her when she left. As much as she wanted to say something, Will was the last person on the list she could ever admit too that she was pregnant. He would no doubt want to pummel James when he finds out anyways.

"Oi! Lorcan! Have you seen my sister?" Alena called out to one of the Scamander twins who were walking by.

Lorcan turned and shot a grin at Alena, the lanky boy threw his arm over her shoulder and shrugged, "Last I saw, she was eating in the Great Hall. Talking to Steph about some nonsense."

"Hmm nonsense? I thought that was saved for you and your brother?" Alena teased as she poked him in the ribs, earning herself an eye roll. Everyone had assumed that the Scamander twins would be complete airheads like their mother, or nature experts like their father. This turned out to be completely false. Lorcan had ended up in Slytherin, the same year as Sabrina, while Lysander was in Ravenclaw just like his mother had been. Both of them were quite smart, and though they could daze off every now and then, neither had really lived up to the expectation that was laid out for them; which they were incredibly grateful for.

"Shut up," Lorcan grumbled as they turned a corner together, "How are things with you and James?" He asked casually as they passed by a group of giggling Third Years.

"Merlin, why does every one ask that question? Do people seem to think that my life now revolves around James just because we're together?" Alena deadpanned with frustration. Why did people feel the need to always ask about someone else's relationship? Is that all they really cared about nowadays?

Lorcan threw his hands up in retreat, "Hey I was just making conversation, no need to get snippy on me. Besides, we little people can't help but wonder about the 'greatest couple at Hogwarts'," he said mockingly.

Alena groaned as a small smile appeared on her lips, "That's ridiculous. Some people really need to get a life, or learn how to spend their time better."

Shrugging, Lorcan grinned madly at her, "Perhaps, but some people will never change."

"Very true," Alena agreed as they continued to walk in silence, Lorcan stuffing his hands in his pockets a, whistle escaping his lips. He couldn't help but have the urge to ask Alena what was going on.

"So you never did answer. How are things going?"

Sighing loudly, Alena grinned at him, "Fine really. I mean I wish I could tell you how terrible James is but then that would be a complete lie. He treats me great and so far we've had only minor disagreements."

Lorcan nodded along interestedly, yet for some reason he couldn't help but feel like Alena was leaving something out. Growing up with Sabrina, he got the chance to see Alena as the big sister he never had, hence giving him the advantage of learning her habits pretty well. He cared for the Martinez girls greatly, and once Michael and Paul left the school, he and his brother took it upon themselves to look out for the two.

"Is that all?"

"What do you mean?" Alena asked suspiciously, wondering if Lorcan had heard something somehow, which really wasn't possible but you never knew at Hogwarts. The rumor mill was incredible and would spew anything out just to get a reaction.

"You just seem different that's all. Almost happy but you're also tired," Lorcan said with a laugh, "Which sounds ridiculous aloud, but I don't know. You never seem this relaxed and you smile a lot more. You almost got this glow. I don't know, maybe I'm looking into it too much just because I know you," Lorcan rambled on.

Alena thought carefully about what he was saying and all she could think was did she really have a glow? She did read in one of her pamphlets, that new mothers will develop the 'pregnant glow', but Alena thought it was impossible. How could people possibly glow just because they're pregnant? But if what Lorcan was saying is true, then he might not be the only one seeing it.

"Hello? Alena?" Lorcan asked as they came to a stop in front of the Great Hall, that is bustling with students as they sat down and ate lunch, gossiped with their friends, or worked on their latest homework assignment.

"Huh? Oh yeah, we're here," Alena murmured as she looked around the room for Sabrina. Quickly she spotted her over at the far end of the Slytherin table, talking animatedly to Stephanie Flint, Sabrina's best mate.

"Nice talking to you, see you later Lorcan," Alena said without thinking as she rushed over to Sabrina, not waiting for Lorcan to give her a response as he stared at her with confusion.

Making her way down the aisle, Alena didn't stop to greet anyone like she normally would do. She ignored anyone that called her name or gave a wave to her. It wasn't because she was in a bad mood. No, Alena felt paranoid and anxious, and the only way to make herself feel better is if she spoke to her sister right away, and that was exactly what she was planning to do.

"Sabrina!" Alena called out with an anxious voice as she looked around, her arms tightening around her stomach, all the smells of food were wafting through her nose and making her nauseas. Instead of getting morning sickness like most pregnant women do, Alena found herself getting sick in the evenings or late at night.

"What's wrong?" Sabrina immediately questioned as she looked up at her sister curiously. Most couldn't tell that the two girls were sisters unless they were looking closely. Alena has long dark hair with hazel eyes, while Sabrina has short honey brown hair and dark blue eyes. Their appearances contrasted but, their personalities were fairly the same.

"Can we talk? Now," Alena said quickly, her eyes staring straight into Sabrina's in hope that she would get the message that it was urgent.

"Err yeah? I'll catch up with you in a bit Steph," Sabrina said unsurely as she stood up and grabbed her brown satchel, "Don't wait up."

"Alright, later," Steph called out as she watched the two sisters interact curiously. Sabrina didn't really talk about her family, which Stephanie assumed was because they liked to keep their business private. Most families did when they had domestic problems.

"You okay?" Sabrina whispered as she linked her arm into Alena's and steered her out the hall. Although, they were two years apart, Alena was barely an inch taller than Sabrina, giving people the impression that they were twins and not different in their age.

"Mmhmm, let's go somewhere quiet," Alena said softly as she picked up her pace, ignoring the look that James gave her when she walked past the Gryffindor table. She didn't have time to stop by and tell him what was going on. Nerves had struck, and now Alena was feeling anxious, sick, and extremely lightheaded all at once.

"You alright? You're looking pale. Is everything okay at home? Did something happen?" Sabrina began to ask, once they were more out in the open. They were headed towards the nearest empty classroom. It was Sunday, thus the chance of being interrupted was very unlikely.

"No nothing happened that I know of, I just really need to talk. But first we need a place and I need to sit," Alena whispered dryly as she continued to look down the corridors with anticipation. Why in the world she was feeling like this she didn't know. Never had she been this nervous, not even when she told James. Perhaps it was because Lorcan's words kept ringing in her ear. 'You look happy, or you have a glow'. The thought of someone noticing her change, scared her and she couldn't figure out why.

"Alright, in here," Sabrina said shortly as she pushed a door open and made sure it was empty, it was. "Now get in," she demanded as she pulled Alena into the room and pushed her in a chair.

Alena began to breathe in and out loudly, anxiety wasn't common for her. Tests didn't scare her. Flying didn't scare her. Swimming with the Giant Squid didn't scare her. Scaling the Gryffindor Tower didn't scare her. Nevertheless, here she was a nervous wreck because she was going to tell her sister she was pregnant. Having a baby scared her. Telling her family scared her even more.

Sabrina looked at her patiently, she couldn't recall a time she had seen Alena this much of a mess. Her sister wasn't perfect, and neither was she. They both had their share of mistakes and caused an equal amount of trouble, Alena more so than her. But never had she seen her sister look this hazardous so whatever that caused it, had to be serious.

"What I'm about to tell you, cannot, and I mean can NOT leave this room," Alena whispered darkly as she looked up at her sister, her eyes never wavering.

"Okay, I promise," Sabrina said as she kneeled down to her sister so they were almost eye level.

"I…I'm pregnant Bri," she said softly, her voice going dry and tears filling up her eyes. Why was she crying? Oh lord; she really was an emotional wreck.

Mouth falling open, Sabrina looked at her with shock. What the hell was all she could think? "Pregnant as in there's an actual baby growing inside of you? Pregnant as in you had sex and got knocked up, that kind of pregnant?" She cried disbelieving.

Alena rolled her eyes while still crying, "How many definitions are there for pregnant? Yes Bri, there's a baby growing inside of me!" She wailed dramatically as a hidden sob escaped her lips.

Sabrina's brows furrowed in disbelief, and then quickly turned to anger as she shot up, "By whom? Merlin please don't tell me it's with Zabini," she pleaded loudly.

Shaking her head roughly, Alena continued to sob as she held herself, "No, no, no, no…it's James Bri."

Standing agape, Sabrina fell into shock. The words pregnant ringing in her ears, as she tried to understand what was happening. No wonder her sister was such a mess. The poor girl was going to have an actual kid. A child that would walk around on two legs, and would always need constant attention, a child that would call Alena mum and herself auntie.

"I…I don't know what to say right now…" Sabrina began, she truly was lost for words, but when she saw the desperation in Alena's eyes she knew that her sister never needed her more than right now. "But I'll be there every step of the way Lena, I can promise you that."

"Thank you," Alena gasped with relief as her sister leaned down and hugged her tightly, she pulled her up and hugged Alena until the air escaped her lungs. Alena clung to her shoulders, never wanting to let Sabrina go. At that moment, she felt as if she was the younger sibling and not the other way around.

"Look we'll get through this. Everything will be fine. I mean things are definitely going to change, and well you're gonna have to clean up your act, but things will be fine," Sabrina muttered softly, she was rambling and most the things she said were in effort to try and soothe Alena as well as herself.

Eventually, Alena was able to pull herself together and stop crying; however, she still hugged her sister affectionately. They never really hugged or showed any type of loving warmth towards each other. It just wasn't in them to do it. Perhaps, when they were younger they were able to do it but as time went on, they grew apart and so did the need to hug each other and always tell one another that they love each other.

"I'm sorry I cried all over you. Fuck, I don't even know why I even cried. With James it kinda just came out," Alena commented as she pulled away and wiped her eyes. Removing any smeared makeup that was left over.

Sabrina smiled tightly at her, "It's fine. So James knows already then, anyone else?"

Alena could detect the underlying tone of annoyance in Sabrina's voice, "No, just him and Madam Hodge. I wanted you to be one of the first to know."

As soon as it appeared, the annoyance disappeared, and a relief filled Sabrina. She hated being put last on Alena's list of important people, especially when Alena would put her Gryffindor's before her; which would happen every now and then much to Sabrina's disappointment.

"You're always important to me Bri, you know that. And with something like this, I will always come to you first," Alena said softly as if she was reading her sister's mind. It was one of the few connections that they shared.

"Right well, I guess we should figure when you plan on telling dad? And the boys too. Oh gosh, Paul and Michael are going to kill James the moment they see him. Can you imagine what they're going to say?" Sabrina said as she changed the subject quickly. It felt too awkward for her to talk about sentiment feelings with her sister. That's not what they did nor will they ever.

Alena groaned loudly as she fell back in a chair, "God no. All I can see is the disappointment in dads' face and the shake of his head. He's going to hate me, there's no doubt about that."

Sabrina scoffed, "Hate you? Doubtful. Yeah he'll be upset but he'll get over it and then be supportive. Its dad, remember? He will stick by your side no matter what," she reasoned as she grabbed a chair and moved so she sat across from Alena.

"You think so?" Alena asked doubtfully. They both knew that their father favored Alena the most out of the four of them. Mainly because, Alena was in the same house her father was back when he went to school, and because Alena had always spent the most time taking care of him after mom had left.

Their mother, which is always a sensitive topic in the Martinez resident, left them when Alena was ten and Sabrina eight. The boys were already at school and didn't know anything until Alena wrote to them, saying that their mother had packed up all her belongings and made it very clear that she was never coming back. Joseph Martinez, their father, had been absolutely devastated and wouldn't leave his bedroom for weeks. Therefore, Alena had taken it upon herself to take care of the household even though she was merely ten years old.

Nobody had heard from Marina, their mother, since the day she left. The last thing she told Alena was to take care, and then she was gone. Alena often wondered why her mother left so suddenly, and why it was easy for her to leave her children like that.

"Absolutely. The only people you need to be concerned about are the boys. They probably won't take it well and will most likely destroy a couple things around them," Sabrina said lightly. Alena may have been their fathers' favorite, but Sabrina was no doubt her brothers. This had its positives and negative moments.

"Well them and James family. He isn't too sure how his mum is going to take it. Pretty sure she will flip though considering we just started dating," Alena said thoughtfully.

"You ever thought that maybe people are gonna think you're only dating because you're pregnant?" Asked Sabrina.

"I…yes actually. But it doesn't matter what people say. They will always talk and make up some excuse about why we're together," Alena said with a wave of her hand as she dismissed the idea. The truth was that she has thought about it and it frightened her to know what people will think once they find out she's pregnant. After all, she can't hide it forever. No matter how hard she wants to or tried.

"Right. And if they do talk then I'll just hex them for you," Sabrina said jokingly, as she let the subject go. "When do you tell his parents? Merlin, what does James even think about this?"

Alena eyed her sister nervously, did she really want to tell her that they were kind of excited for the baby; of course, she would receive disapproving looks and a speech to follow, but it was the truth. "He said over break, he wants to be there when I tell dad and me with him when he tells his parents. We're in this together. And I don't know what he thinks really, just that he's nervous as hell like me. A kid Sabrina! An actual baby will be with us in six months. I still can't believe myself."

Sabrina chuckled, "Who would've thought? I mean we all know you liked to have fun with boys, but actually pregnant Alena! I thought better of you,"

Frowning deeply, Alena glared at her sister with annoyance, "Yes well I guess now you can think lowly of me."

Now it was Sabrina's turn to frown as she let out an exasperated sigh, "I didn't mean it like that Lena. Look, I know this is big news and it's not easy for me to take in right away. I just never expected it to happen to you."

"It is though. And nothing is stopping me from having this baby," Alena said dryly as she looked around the classroom. Desks were stacked up against the wall and chairs stood around, covered in dust.

"Did you ever think about, not keeping it?"

Alena's head sharply turned to Sabrina and stared at her shockingly, "As in kill my baby?"

"I mean it's not really a baby yet, just a bunch of cells put together. Doesn't become human till later on," Sabrina said as she looked at her sister carefully.

"No never. Even if I wanted to do that, it would be too late. You have to get the procedure done within the first two months," Alena snapped. The idea of actually doing that to a child disgusted her. Just because she messed up, didn't mean she had the right to take it out on an innocent life. Cell or not a cell, it would still turn into a baby. Others may be able to do it, and that was fine because it didn't concern Alena, she couldn't care less what someone else did to their body. Nevertheless, she could never be able to bring herself to do it.

"And no adoption, I'm assuming?" Sabrina asked.

"Merlin Bri! Do you really not want me to have this baby? Trying to take all the possible exit routes?" Alena cried with exasperation.

Sabrina rolled her eyes at her sisters' dramatics, "No Alena, I'm just making sure you're being smart about this and have considered all the possible options. I don't want you to feel trapped because you're too scared to actually do what you want."

"This is what I want, so of course I'm keeping the baby. End of discussion," Alena said finally.

"Alright. That's fine," Sabrina said with agreement. Now was not the time to fight with her sister or try to tell her what to do with her life. Instead, she was going to sit back on the sidelines and help out whenever needed. It was in fact, her sisters' decision on what to do and if she messed up, then the only person she can blame is she.

"I guess I should get going," Alena finally said as she began to stand up and dust herself off. They had been talking for almost two hours now. "James will probably worry and think you murdered me or some nonsense."

Sabrina grinned as she too stood up, "Pshh, if I'm killing anyone, then it's got to be him for doing this to you."

"Ha, yes definitely. We'll plot his death together," Alena bantered as they grabbed their stuff and headed for the door.

"Nobody will ever know. They'll never expect the mother of his child to do it," Sabrina laughed.

"We'll run away to Switzerland and live as farmers and nuns," Alena added thoughtfully.

"And if anyone tries to accuse us, well we'll just have to obliviate them to no return," said Sabrina.

Both sisters started to laugh loudly as they made their way to the front of the castle. A few students lingered around, chatting to their friends or a nearby portrait.

"Well this is our end, come to me if you need anything," Sabrina began as she hugged her sister farewell, "And when this comes rolling out, I'll be there every step of the way, wand ready."

Alena pulled away and smiled at her sister, "Thank you Bri. For everything really."

"Hey that's what sisters are for," Sabrina called over her shoulder as she began to make her way towards the Slytherin common room. Today had been an awfully long day and she was ready to crash out on her bed.

"Bye," Alena said softly as she watched her sister walk away. They may have their differences and they may live in different houses, but the one thing they always agreed on is that family came first. Slowly, Alena turned on her heel and began to head to the nearest staircase that would take her back to the Gryffindor Tower. She didn't want to imagine how rough it would be once she was more pregnant. All the walking would no doubt kill her and she'll probably take most of it out on James.

James. The thought of him, made her stomach swirl. She loved him endlessly, but then a thought occurred to her. What if he hears about her meeting with Will in the Library? James isn't the jealous type but he knows about their history together, and he doesn't exactly have a high opinion of William; especially, because of what he did to her last year. That was all in the past though; this is a new page, and a new book. Hopefully, James will be able to move past the fact that he's not going to like everyone that stays in Alena's life. Nonetheless, Alena would surely find out when she saw him tonight.

**A/N: First I would like to thank everyone that has read this story and left me a review. You are absolutely amazing! And to those who favorite it! Thank you sooo much. I'm sorry for the long wait. Usually I can get them up pretty quickly but time has escaped me and it took me a while to get my thoughts down on paper. But here we go and I hope you liked it! Thanks for caring!**


	5. Chapter 5

Night had fallen, and the moon could be found shining high in the sky; unfortunately, Dominique Weasley didn't care about the moon or how bright it shined down on everyone. All that she could even think about is where is Alena? The last time she had seen the girl was in the Great Hall before she took off with her sister. Dominique knew from past experiences that Sabrina is that last person Alena usually turns to; therefore, something extreme must be going on and Dominique was determined to find out.

"Dom, what are you doing?" Tiffany called out from her lazy position on her bed, a magazine clutched in her left hand as she looked over at Dom, who had been pacing back and forth for almost ten minutes now.

"Where's Alena? She should be here by now. It's eight o'clock," Dom huffed irritably. Out of the four of them, she was the least worrisome, so it was strange for her to act this way.

"Are you her keeper now? I didn't realize Alena had to check in with you every hour," Vero said sarcastically, her eyes rolling as she flipped over on her stomach and propped up her head.

"No, but I would like to know what's going on with my friend," Dom snapped with bitterness. They all knew how she hated being left in the dark. It was her biggest pet peeve not knowing.

"What makes you think something is going on?" Tiffany asked curiously as she decided to sit up and move into a comfortable position. A famous Dominique rant was coming on and it was best to be in a good spot before she started.

"You don't see it?!" Dom cried incredulously, why were her friends so blind to what was happening right before them? "All her changes! Everything about her is different!"

"How so?" Vero inquired now, her interest peaked as she thought about Alena carefully.

"Well to start off, she doesn't smoke anymore!" Dom shouted the first thing that popped into her head. It was true though; she and Alena would always sneak out to the last Greenhouse and smoke a bowl of Dragon-Seed, a magical hallucination that caused people to feel giddy and relaxed, behind it.

"That's not exactly a bad thing, we should all stop doing that," Vero said casually with a wave of dismal, "If anything, maybe you should follow her example Dom."

Dom grunted with disapproval, "Okay. How about the fact that she doesn't go out anymore. Instead she stays in with James and does boring couple things! Since when has Alena been boring? I'll tell you when, never!"

Tiffany raised her brows at the hysterical Dom incredulously, "You're acting insane Dommie. Alena and James are a couple, so what do you expect them to do? They're actually serious with each other, let it be."

"Let it be? Let it be!? How can I just let it be, when it's not natural?" Dom shouted wildly. Why didn't her friends understand what she was saying? Does no one get it? Does no one care anymore?

"Honestly Dom, do you think that it's just jealousy getting to you?" Vero asked nervously. The last thing she wanted to do was upset Dominique furthermore.

Looking at her with confusion, Dom crinkled her brows, "Jealousy? Of what?"

"That Alena doesn't spend all her time with us anymore, or perhaps you I should say. She's in a serious relationship now, and unlike before when she would randomly date, you would always be there by her side. Except, now James is there and Alena doesn't feel the need to turn to you as much," Veronica said slowly as she stood up and walked towards Dominique, whose strong front began to crumple as she sat on her bed.

"That's imposturous, we have a great friendship and I'm happy for Alena and James. They deserve each other really. But I know there's something else going on. I can just sense it, I don't care what you guys say," Dom said softly, her eyes glowing with intensity that Vero couldn't fathom.

"Well Dommie—"Veronica began but was quickly cut off but the sudden entrance of Alena, whom swung the door open and grinned at the girls before her.

"Hello sweeties!" Alena cheered loudly, the grin she carried slipped from her face as she looked at Dom, than Veronica. Something had happened, she just knew it.

"Where've you been at?" Tiffany quickly asked as she shot a glance towards Dom and then Alena. .

"With James right now. Why did I miss something?" Alena asked as she walked into the room and over towards her bed, where she took a seat on top of a closed trunk.

"Why did you run off with Sabrina this afternoon?" Dominique blurted out, her face turning red from frustration. Veronica couldn't help but mentally face-palm herself at Dom's bluntness, before stepping away, and then taking a seat next to Tiffany. Both were emotionally preparing for the argument that is sure to happen any second.

"Excuse me?" Alena questioned her eyebrows rose with disbelief. Dom was acting far crazier than usual.

"I didn't stutter. No need to say it twice," Dom snapped as she stood up and put her hands on her hips. Silver hair fluttering madly as Dom shook with a hidden anger.

"She's my sister Dominique. I'm allowed to talk to her whenever I please. Better yet, I'm allowed to talk to anyone that I want," Alena argued as she stood up as well, irritation spreading throughout her body.

"Please, you hardly talk to her so don't pull that sister crap with me. I want to know what you're hiding," Dom spat out, her temper beginning to flare. Where all this anger came from, she didn't know but it was too late to stop it. Dom blamed the Veela genes her mother had cursed her with.

Alena sucked in a large breath as she tried her best to control her own rage. Dom was being paranoid and irrational as usual, there was no need for them to fight over something this ridiculous.

"Look Dom, you need to chill. I don't know what's getting you this riled up or why but it needs to stop. I love Sabrina and just because we don't spend every fucking second together doesn't mean she's not important to me," Alena barked at Dominique, who in return glared at her.

"That's fantastic, really. Care to tell me what you guys were talking about?"

"Dom stop," said Tiffany as she stood up and decided now was the time to intervene before they both said something they didn't mean.

"Why should I?" Dominique yelled, her hands thrown up in the air with further frustration.

"Because you're acting like a complete mental case! Look at you demanding to know what I say to my sister! You're not my damn mother, and not my fucking caretaker. I don't need to tell you anything!" Alena shouted her fists clenching and then unclenching out of fury.

Dominiques eyes flashed, her lips turned into a snarl, "I don't know why I try caring, especially when you're this selfish. Perhaps that's why your mother left. Couldn't stand being around a brat like you!"

A loud gasped filled the room as Veronica and Tiffany looked at Alena then Dom and back at Alena with wide eyes. They couldn't believe what Dom had just said. Number one rule in the dormitory is that you never and they mean never, mention Alena's mum unless you wanted to get hexed or pummeled to the ground. Which are both things that Alena has done when the forbidden subject is brought up.

Alena whipped out her wand in a flash and without even thinking a hex escaped her lips, aiming directly at Dominique. Dom was thrown back into the post of the nearest bed; sweat covered her brow as a loud shriek filled with pain and rage left her mouth. There was no point in trying to pull out her own wand; Alena's too quick for her to duel.

"Don't you ever say something like that to me again Dominique Weasley!" Alena screamed before spinning on her heel and marching to the bathroom, closing the door with a loud slam.

"Go to hell!" Dominique spat as she pulled herself up and rubbed her back from where she had hit the post, certainly there would be a bruise tomorrow. Glancing at her other two friends, who continued to stare at her with shock, Dom fixed her shirt before running out the room.

Tiffany and Veronica stood in silence, both staring at each other with an unknown shock. "Well that was unexpected," Vero finally said as she went over to the bathroom door and knocked lightly. "Lena, are you okay?"

"Yeah…I'm fine…"Alena said through choked sobs as she leaned against the toilet, bile filling up her mouth and burning her nostrils.

"Can I come in?" Veronica asked through the door; however, she received no answer as Alena began to throw up all the contents in her stomach. Veronica didn't wait any longer before opening the door and quickly moving to Alena's side, where she grabbed the girls' hair and held it up for her.

"Shh it's okay," she murmured softly as she rubbed circles on her back and did her best to soothe Alena.

"Is she okay?" Tiffany asked worriedly from the doorway. Usually when Alena and Dominique fought they made up the next day, Tiffany had never seen Alena this upset after an argument though.

"I don't know, she's really sick though," Vero called back as she looked down at Alena and frowned.

Alena finally pulled up from the toilet, wiping away any leftover bile that could still linger on her face, "Thanks for that," she said as she stood up and went towards the sink, her body shaky as she turned on the faucet.

Veronica stood right behind her, noticing how fragile Alena looked, she was worried that she would fall any second. "Merlin Lena, are you okay? Do I need to get Madam Hodge?"

Glancing up only briefly to look at Vero through the mirror, Alena splashed some warm water on her face, "No, no, no need for all that. I just…I don't know that argument really shook me up I guess."

"That's understandable. What Dominique said was out of line and she had no right to say any of those things to you," Vero said with comfort as she pat Alenas shoulder softly.

"Yeah, we don't know what has gotten to her, but she's obsessed with the idea that you're hiding something from us," Tiffany added as she stepped fully into the bathroom, the smell of bile still lingered in the air.

' Alena looked at them sheepishly. Dom was acting unusually senseless and her hurtful words weren't necessary, but she isn't entirely wrong. Truthfully, Alena is hiding something from them; however, Dom is the only one that knows how to pick up on those kinds of things sense they are the closest to each other.

"I…I need to tell you guys something…" Alena said softly. Even though she and James had promised they weren't going to tell anyone till after they told their family first, Alena didn't want to lose her friends over this.

"What is it?" Veronica asked kindly, she could see the dilemma clear in Alena's face; obviously she was going through an internal struggle about something.

"I—" Alena began but suddenly stopped when more vomit filled her mouth, making her push Veronica out of the way and stumble towards the toilet again. Her mouth gagging and stomach dry heaving as her stomach continued to empty itself over and over again.

"That's vile," Tiffany grunted as she left the bathroom quickly. Seeing other people made her sick, thus leaving the bathroom right away is mandatory.

"Oh get out," Veronica snapped as she lifted Alena's hair back up and started to rub her back once more.

Several minutes passed before Alena finally calmed down and her body had dried heaved multiple times. "Okay, I'm done now," Alena gasped out heavily, sweat dripping down her face as she struggled to sit up. Lord how she hated evening sickness.

"Let's get you to bed right away," Veronica said quietly as she ushered her out the door and towards her bed, "And if you need to throw up again just use this bucket," she said as she pulled out her wand and quickly conjured a wooden bucket.

"Alright," Alena said softly as she fell into bed and snuggled up in her comforter, her thoughts swirling as sleep began to take over. Veronica tucked her in as she pulled off her shoes and decided to tie her hair back just in case she did get sick again.

"Sleep tight," Veronica said, before moving away and turning off the bathroom light.

"What do you think she ate?" Tiffany asked from her bed, as she too snuggled up in her covers.

"Not sure. Probably just a nasty stomach bug. Hopefully she feels better by morning though," Veronica commented as she pulled off her clothes and put on her pajamas.

"When do you think Dom will come back?"

"Merlin who knows, let's just get some rest and see what happens tomorrow. Pray things clear over, even though they probably won't," Veronica said begrudgingly. She was tired and just ready for the day to be over so they can start fresh.

Alena woke up the next morning feeling a lot better compared to when she had fallen asleep; unfortunately, the fight from last night still stung. Glancing out from her sheets, Alena instantly realized that Dommie never came back to the dorm last night. Probably found one of her boy toys and shagged them for the night.

With a sigh, Alena pulled herself out of bed and stretched out her body before heading for the bathroom. A bad taste filled her mouth, creating an urge to brush her teeth right away and begin preparing for the day. Turning on the light, Alena was greeted by her own disheveled appearance.

Despite her being sick last night, Alena still didn't look too bad. Her hair is a complete bird's nest, makeup downright smeared off, and clothes wrinkled; despite all that, she still looked healthy and she hated to admit it but a hidden glow could be seen. Oh that famous glow. Alena made a mental note to ask James if he saw any change in her.

Last night before the catastrophe with Dom, Alena had spoken to James about her experience with her sister and how well it turned out. She made sure to leave out that she practically bawled her eyes and they had secretly planned his death. That kind of stuff is meant to stay between sisters, and never shared.

"La de da do," Alena sang to herself as she prepared the shower and began to stip. Hot steaming water is always the answer to a problem. That or a cozy bed, or even a bubble filled bath in the Prefects Bathroom. Alena prayed for the day that she told her friends she was pregnant would come sooner just so she wouldn't have to keep anymore secrets.

"Alena?" Vero called out as she walked into the bathroom, her own appearance looking even worse than she remembered. Growing up together, gave them confidence to show their body to each other without feeling embarrassed or ashamed. They were perfectly okay with doing things while someone else was still in the room.

"Yes?" Alena called out over the water as she began to scrub her hair with vanilla scented shampoo, a flavor that James had mentioned he loved.

"You feel better?" Vero asked as she took care of her own business, and decided to start a shower as well. Thankfully, Hogwarts decided to expand the bathrooms so that there were two shower stalls and two toilets. Expecting five girls to wait around was an absolute ridiculous idea.

"Yeah, lots. Perhaps it was just something I ate," said Alena, her face cringing at the obvious lie.

"Yea that's what I thought…and then the whole thing with Dom didn't help," Vero shouted over her own water. Her hands reaching for the bar of soap as she scrubbed her face.

"Could be, I don't really want to talk about it," Alena replied as she rinsed her hair of conditioner and finished up her shaving. Girl showers required a lot more work than a boy, making her envious of anyone that can just step in and then step out.

Vero didn't reply as she finished up washing, she knew better than to force Alena to talk when she didn't want to. Things would only end up tense and another argument would probably happen, which is the last thing Vero wants with her friend.

Ten minutes passed before Alena was finally done and turned off the water, Vero wasn't finished yet. Humming to herself, Alena dried her body and stepped out of the stall, her face feeling refreshed, she went out the door and headed towards her closet.

"Well you're up early. Thought you'd be dead in bed," Tiffany called from her spot at the vanity mirror. Her hands tied up in her hair as she braided down her back.

"No, I feel fine. Just a night bug," Alena babbled as she sorted through her things and pulled out a pair of stretchy black pants and the required uniform shirt the school demands students to wear.

"That's good. Hate for you to miss when we're so close to the holidays," Tiffany commented, she was slightly nervous that Alena would bring up their argument from two weeks ago.

Alena made no replied as she tugged on her clothes, the pants fitting snug around her belly. Pretty soon she'll have to start expanding them and buying loose shirts. A flutter of nerves filled her heart at the thought of wearing maternity clothes and walking around with a big belly. Slowly buttoning up her shirt, Alena took notice that this too was tight around her waist. The woes of being pregnant really.

"Why do Monday classes exist?" Sasha groaned from her bed, her body sprawled out as she mentally debated if she should even try to get out of bed. Alena grinned at her before rolling her eyes and throwing on a large gray jumper.

"Oh please, you don't start class till ten. How you got that lucky, I'll never know, but you have no right to complain," Alena replied jokingly, as she grabbed her Gryffindor tie and began to tie it around before tucking it under her jumper. By now, Veronica had gotten out of the shower and was also getting dressed.

The four girls were joking around and talking about how much they dreaded morning classes but thankfully this was their last work week before break. "Can you believe the term is almost over?" Vero said disbelievingly.

"Thank Merlin," Sasha noted, who still hadn't left her spot. Alena laughed as she laced up her boots.

"It has gone by quite fast, enjoyable, but fast. Soon we'll be in the 'real world'," said Tiffany as she too finished up her uniform and tugging her skirt into place, black tights underneath.

"Gahh don't remind me," Alena grumbled as she stood up and grabbed her bag. There is still no sign of Dom and that was perfectly fine with her. Morning confrontation is never good, and Dominique knew better than to come back while everyone was still getting ready.

"Let's head to breakfast, we've got an hour to spare and I'm sure the boys are waiting," Vero said as she picked up her books that would be needed for the first half of the morning, her chestnut colored hair laid perfectly down her shoulders as she tugged on an end.

"Sounds good to me," Tiffany said with agreement, Alena humming along as they all trailed out the door and waving goodbye to Sasha who grinned at them with closed eyes.

**A/N: Thank you for reading. If anyone is wondering, the rest of the day will be continued in the next chapter before I do another dramatic scene. Therefore, this is more fillerish but incredibly important for the plot. Enjoy!**


	6. Chapter 6

The girls had made it to the Great Hall without any real complication. Every now and then they would pass someone by and make a quick conversation before returning back to their original group. None of the boys had been waiting for them in the common room, which Alena thought was a bit strange but gave it no second thought. She knew how impatient Fred could be when he was hungry and probably dragged James away with him.

They entered the Great Hall, to find it partially full, and students lingering around. Alena's face lit up when she saw James slouched over his plate, a bored expression on his face as Fred rattled on about something Alena wasn't sure of.

"Hey," Alena said softly as she swung her legs over and took a seat right next to James, whom immediately perked up at the sight of her. Leaning over, James gave her a quick peck on the lips and grabbed for her hand. Breakfast was definitely boring without her, and he knew that next time he would be waiting for Alena.

"Where's Damien?" Vero asked as she took a seat next to Fred and cringed at his mouthful of food. "Fred please don't answer," she said warningly.

James frowned, "Not sure really. He wasn't there when we woke up. We just assumed he came to breakfast early but when we got here he was nowhere to be found," he said with a shrug.

"Doesn't that concern you?" Vero asked with disbelief. Perhaps it was the mother like quality she had that made her constantly concerned about her friends whereabouts, or maybe it was just a Veronica thing. Either idea could be right of course.

"Nahh, he can handle himself," Fred commented after he had swallowed all of his food. "Don't worry so much Vero. He's a big boy, no need to smother him."

Veronica glared at him before picking up some fruit and oatmeal; she then glanced around before realizing something that shouldn't have been forgettable. "Where's Loren? I don't remember seeing her at all yesterday," a panic tone filled her voice.

Alena stopped sniffing the food that is currently in front of her, she was trying to find the one that wouldn't make her want to gag right away. "Now that you mention it, I haven't either. That's unusual but then again it is Loren," she commented casually.

"I think the last class I saw her in was Divination?" Tiffany suggested as she scrambled her eggs thoughtfully.

James looked at the girls and then over to Fred who just shrugged at him before taking another large bite of his food. "Maybe she's in the Hospital Wing?"

"But why would she be there?" Alena mused as she finally settled on a Belgian waffle and bacon. Bacon smelled the most appetizing so she made sure to grab several pieces.

"I don't know, it's just a thought," said James as he reached over to grab a piece of Alena's bacon, it did look delicious. However, he only gained a whack on his hand. "Ouch!" He cried as he pulled away and pouted at Alena.

"Get your own!"

"But yours is closer. Pleeeease," he said with wide eyes, as he did his best to make Alena feel guilty.

Alena rolled her eyes before smiling and handing him a piece, "You're such a tosser," she muttered before cutting up her waffle and biting into a large piece that is dripping with syrup.

James gave a large grin, "Perhaps. But I'm your tosser, and really that's way better."

"It really is," Alena replied as she smiled up at him, both grinning madly and ignoring their friends' conversation.

"As cute as that is, maybe we should get back on the subject of Loren," Veronica said loudly, making Alena and James break from their staring and look at her sheepishly.

"Sorry. Right well, there's not much we can do Vero. I mean it's not the first time she's disappeared on us. Maybe she's just staying with one of her Claws," Alena suggested as she returned to her meal.

"Yeah! Let's just wait and see what happens and if she doesn't show up by lunch then we'll send out the search party," Tiffany added as she too began to eat her food. The truth is, Loren was always running off with a different friend. She never stayed with one group to spend time. Plus, Loren liked to be by herself most the time anyways. The girls weren't sure why that is, and they never really questioned it for fear that they would upset her.

"I guess," Vero grumbled before taking a bite of her oatmeal. Fred nodded along with agreement as he gave her a pat on the shoulder and small smile. He knew how worried Vero can get if she isn't reassured.

"She'll show up, don't worry," Fred said softly, making sure that no one else heard their conversation, "But if you're really concerned then we can go check the map back in the common room and find out where she is?" He suggested quickly.

Veronica perked up suddenly and smiled at Fred before nodding, "Yes please. Oh thank you Fred!" She whispered before grabbing his hand and squeezing it with gratitude. Fred smiled at her softly as he looked at their hands, a tingle had filled his body and it was a quite a strange feeling for him. Especially for it to happen with Vero.

Meanwhile, Alena had been watching the two whisper back and forth, and found Fred being incredibly sweet to Vero; they would be a cute couple indeed. But before she could say anything, James poked her in the side, making her jump abruptly and then shot a glare over at him.

"Was that really necessary?" She hated when people poked her in her ticklish spot. James knew that.

"Why is Dom not sitting with us?" James asked as he looked over to Dominique who had in fact taken a seat next to her younger brother Louis at the Ravenclaw table.

Alena sighed loudly, "We had a fight last night after I came back from talking to you. Things blew up quite quickly and she said quite a few nasty things…"

"And?" James asked, knowing there is more to the story.

"And I may have hexed her into a bed post," Alena finished off, "But she was pushing my buttons. So I don't take it back." Alena quickly added.

"What did she say?" James questioned. He knew better than to intervene or try to help a fight with Dom and Alena. Past experiences have taught him that it only makes things worse and that's it better when they figure it out themselves.

"She talked about my mother," Alena said bitterly, her eyes lowering with annoyance. Of course her mother is a sour subject. How would anyone feel if their best mate threw it in their face that their mum abandoned them without a real reason?

James face softened suddenly, "I'm sorry," he whispered. Why Dom would stoop to such a low level he didn't get, but he would no doubt find out. "What was she pestering you about?"

"She's nosey and wants to know about you-know-what," Alena whispered, "Which by the way we need to announce soon, I can't keep anymore secrets."

"I know I know me neither. Last night Fred even asked me why I was being so strange. I didn't even know I was acting different!" James whispered urgently, and then looked around to make sure no one is paying attention to their conversation. They weren't, everyone is either eating or distracted by Fred, whose juggling apples on his head.

"When do you plan on telling Al and Lily?" Alena asked as fidgeted with the bottom of her sweater, her palms shaking from either the cold or sudden nerves.

Running a hand through his hair, James sighed loudly, "Excellent question. I don't know. Maybe tomorrow? Or Wednesday, I'll have to see when he's free and not training for Quidditch."

Alena nodded with agreement, "That's fine. Honestly I don't mean to rush you, but things would be a lot easier if everyone knew. I can't stand the hiding anymore and pretty soon I'll be showing," she commented with a frown.

"Can't wait," James said with a grin as he leaned his face down and kissed her softly before pulling away, "Let's go," he whispered before standing up and pulling her along.

"See you guys in class!" Alena called out with a laugh as she waved goodbye to her friends and quickly left the Great Hall. James laced his hand with hers and continued to pull her down the hall, a grin on his face as he looked over at her.

"Where are we going?" Alena questioned but before she could get an answer, James pushed her into a wall and began to kiss her passionately.

"I've wanted to do this since you first walked in," James crooned into her ear before kissing her jaw line and then her lips once more.

Breaking the kiss with a smile, Alena laughed gently before turning her head, making James groan with frustration and then began kissing her neck. "What if someone walks by and sees us," she whispered, her body tingling with pleasure by every kiss James placed.

"Then let them see. I'm gonna kiss my girlfriend wherever I want," James grunted in response as he grabbed her cheek and began to kiss her again, his left arm tightening around her waist and the right stroking her face.

"You're gonna scar the First Years," Alena noted as she pulled away again before leaning back in. Despite her warnings, James didn't stop nor did he care. If he wanted to kiss Alena, then dammit he was going to.

A couple minutes into their snogging session, Alena finally pulled away breathless, "Okay any more than that then we'll need a room. And the last time that happened, this happened," Alena said as she pointed at her belly and grinned at James.

James smiled as he slowly placed his hands on her stomach, making sure to rub it gently. To anyone passing by it would just look like James was caressing her waist, which he was; however, he was doing it to show his affection towards his unborn child.

"Can you believe in six months, this little guy will be with us?" James said tenderly as he stared deeply into Alena's hazel eyes. He always found them to be her most beautiful attribute for he could get lost in them for hours.

"Little guy? What makes you think it'll be a boy? It could be a girl," Alena said jokingly as she placed her hands on top of James and smiled at him lovingly.

Chuckling deeply, James grinned, "I wouldn't mind that either. Boy or girl, I'll still love them," he whispered before leaning in for one final kiss.

"Alright now let's get to class," Alena said as they broke apart and she fixed her jumper then hair. "We really need to not to do that in the middle of the corridor," she said jokingly as they laced hands and began to walk towards their first class of the day, Advanced Transfiguration.

"Nonsense. Corridor snogs are always the best, especially with you," James whispered suggestively, earning him a playful shove to the side.

"Shut up," Alena grumbled as she looked at her watch, noting that they had ten minutes to get to class. Thankfully James had lugged them to a half-point to class so it wouldn't take long for them to get there.

"Just kidding," James said as they turned another corridor and joined the masses of students, who were also traveling to their first class of the day.

"So many First Years, you think they would've learned to stay out of the way by now," James huffed as he pushed past kids and dragging Alena behind, who continued to laugh at his annoyance.

"Relax. You act like you were never a First Year. They're probably still learning their route," Alena replied lazily as she brushed back her hair and smiled at some of the people that passed by.

James snorted loudly, "Are you kidding? It's almost break, the little hellions should already know where their sodding classes are. Not walking around and wasting my time."

"My, my, you are impatient," Alena mused loudly as she snickered so more and squeezed his hand adoringly. Eventually they did make it to Transfiguration but only with a minute to spare.

"Next time, I'm pulling out my wand and hexing the buggers," James grumbled as he collapsed into a chair in the back row on the far right, Alena taking a seat next to him.

"Oh hush. Look its Damien," Alena said as she waved at the tall boy, who is currently sitting at the table in front of them.

"Where've the hell you been?" James questioned as he watched Alena pull out her book and then looking back over to his friend.

Damien shrugged, "Oh just out and stuff, you know the usual," Damien said with a smirk and then laughed at Alena's disgusted expression.

"Whose helpless soul was it this time?" She asked curiously, her interest intrigued at the idea of Damien actually being with someone faithfully. Maybe he'll finally settle down, if the girl is worthwhile of course.

Damien is well known for his inclusive behavior, but then again they all were. Alena hardly dated seriously, James had dated only two girls for long periods of times before both ended disastrously. Dom had one serious boyfriend before the git cheated on her back in Fifth Year. Vero and Tiffany never talked about a serious boyfriend, just summer flings. Nobody knew about Loren. And well Fred was Fred, he either had someone or he didn't.

"Ha, like I would tell you lot. Mad all of you and would no doubt chase her away," said Damien as he leaned back in his chair on the hind legs and looked around the room, seeing if Professor Clearwater had arrived. That woman absolutely hated when he leaned on the back of his chairs legs. Gave him detention last time she caught him. You'd think that'd be enough to stop him, but it hasn't yet.

"Does that mean she has potential?" James asked curiously as he grabbed a quill from Alena and moved away before she could hit him, "Can't get me this time," he teased before getting slapped in the back.

"Don't try me," Alena grumbled as she grabbed her bag and looked for another quill or at least a pen. Transfiguration is the one class that demanded constant notes; otherwise you'd be lost for days on trying to figure out what to study.

Damien laughed at their behavior, "You two are the weirdest couple I've ever seen. But it fits I guess."

"Trying to change the subject I see," James said teasingly as he kicked his friends' chair, making it topple to the ground. Just as Damien was about to shout, Professor Clearwater came strutting into the room. He gave James a grateful smile before turning around in his seat.

"Okay, everyone take a seat. Yes that means you Mr. Patil. Okay everyone pull out their books and the homework that was assigned last Wednesday. You've had enough time to complete it, therefore, I expect no lousy excuses," Professor Clearwater stated loudly as she stood in front of her desk. Her face poised with strictness, hair placed in a smooth ponytail, and robes flying about. Clearwater was one of the most respected and feared teachers at Hogwarts. Some say, she learned everything from McGonagall back when she used to teach. Nobody dared to mess around in her class.

Alena pulled out her work, as well as James. He knew better than to skive it off. Past mistakes had taught him that his mother doesn't mess around when it comes to school and if he's not passing then he gets banned from all activity remotely fun. Plus, a nasty Howler in the mail that will get everyone's attention. Those are never good to have around.

"You finished it, right Damien?" Alena whispered as Clearwater began to walk down the aisles, her wand waving and picking up the pieces of parchment that were due.

"Yes, do I look like a complete slacker to you?" Damien hissed over his shoulder, a grin still on his lips because they both knew that he was.

"Something you'd like to share with the rest of the class Mr. Wood?" Clearwater asked loudly as she stood in front of his desk with a stern expression. Damien looked up at her and gave her a smile. He ignored the kicking of his chair, which most likely came from James; it was his way of telling him to grovel then shut up.

"Well sure. I was just telling Alena here, how I did my homework, quite excellently if I may say so, and that I hope to impress the wonderful and hardworking Professor Clearwater," Damien said exaggeratedly. Alena covered her groan, while James gave him one last kick to his chair.

Professor Clearwater rolled her eyes but gave a small smile of amusement before waving her wand, "We'll see what happens when I grade it then," was all she said before turning back around to the front.

"Why are you boys such tossers?" Alena wondered as she too rolled her eyes at Damien's gleeful expression. James laughed at him before picking up a piece of parchment and preparing himself for notes. As much as he wants to waste the hour messing around with Alena, he knew that she wouldn't tolerate it and that the best thing he could do is listen too.

Soon enough, the class had ended with only minor interruptions from Damien, and Alena left feeling confident in her note taking. She and James laced hands once more as the three of them began to make way to their next class, Advanced Potions with Professor Shearborn. Shearborn is a middle-aged man that is a complete genius on the topic, and was a fairly decent teacher to them. He showed no favoritism to any house, and offered advice to anyone that needed help or seemed to be struggling. Compared to past potions teachers, Shearborn is a saint.

"You gonna talk to Dom?" James casually asked as they made their way to the dungeons. This was the only class that they all shared together beside Tiffany, who had Herbology instead; she was rubbish at anything that needed a cauldron.

Alena shrugged as she brushed past people, "Not likely. I'll probably partner off with Vero today."

Damien tensed at the subject of Dominique, for he knew everything that had happened between the pair even though he wasn't there at breakfast to find out.

"I'll partner with her right away," Damien suggested as they grew closer. He didn't want them to become suspicious of what was happening and decided to play the helpful friend role.

"Good idea. Hopefully things turn out smoothly," James commented as they finally reached the classroom, Damien pushed the door open and motioned for them to walk in the partially filled classroom.

The room is still dark and slightly eerie; however, there is more warmth to it compared to previous years. The classroom no longer screamed run away, but instead gave a feeling of mystery and interest. Pictures lined the walls of past potioneers. Rules on how to properly brewed, and famous potions also covered the walls as well of magnified pictures of what a correct potion should look like.

Alena swerved around the tables and made her way to Vero, who already had her things set up and was reading a book she had brought along. Her previous class, Arithmancy, had gotten out early due to Professor Thomas feeling faint, so they were allowed to leave fifteen minutes earlier. "Long time no see," Alena said jokingly as she placed her bag down and grinned at Veronica.

Veronica rolled her eyes but grinned at Alena as she put her book down, "How was class?"

"Eh normal as usual. Damien only got yelled at twice, I think it's a record," Alena said as she grabbed her cauldron and began to set it up. The potion of the day was on the board so she knew they weren't doing lecture today. James took seat across from Alena as he whispered back and forth with Fred, who had walked into the room only a minute ago.

"Wow. He deserves a reward," Vero said with a laugh as she glanced over at said boy, whom was talking to Dominique quietly. "I haven't talked to her yet," she said softly, her eyes looking back to Alena who began to frown.

"You can if you want. I'm not going to stop you from being friends with her just because we had a rubbish fight," Alena muttered, as she sat on her stool and twisted with the end of her hair.

"I know but I'm not happy with her for what she did. She needs to apologize before any of us can move on from it," Veronica quipped as she twirled her quill with thought. "Changing the subject now, where did you and lover boy run off to during breakfast? You didn't even finish your meal so it must have been pretty urgent. Can't contain your raging hormones, eh?" She said with a suggestive grin.

Alena laughed loudly her face splitting into a huge grin, which caught James attention suddenly as he looked up from his conversation to Fred, "What are you talking about?"

Veronica grinned even wider at his curiosity, "Oh nothing James," she said in a singsong voice, causing Alena to laugh harder, her stomach aching from the sudden giggles.

"Tell me Alena," James pried, he truly is interested in knowing what had caused Alena to laugh this hard. Merlin, he loved when she laughed. It made his world light up seeing that large smile on her heart shaped face. Damn, he is a sap.

"I…can't…right…now…" Alena said in-between laughs as she lightly shoved Vero to the side as she too began to laugh. Fred watched them with amusement and didn't miss the moment when Dom looked up from her spot and stared at them longingly. Veronica had filled him in on what happened and thought it was unfortunate that the two were fighting.

"Okay no more," Alena finally said once she had calmed down and wiped her eyes from the happy tears she cried. She then grinned at James and nudged his leg under the table, "It's nothing important. Stop being nosey," she playfully chastised. James replied by sticking his tongue out at her.

"Welcome to class ladies and gentleman. I hope you all took the cue to prepare your cauldrons and open up your hearts to another mind-blowing class of potion brewing," Professor Shearborn boomed as he strode into class with a cheery grin.

"And here we go," Fred murmured as they all turned to listen to the talkative Professor. Everyone ended their conversation and all eyes were on him for the remaining period as he animatedly talked about the potion they would begin to brew and the process it contained.

By the time they left Potions, Alena was feeling exhausted again. Being pregnant really did drain her and all she wanted to do is take a decent nap for about four hours and then start her day again. Unfortunately, she knew she couldn't do this so she pushed herself to her next class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, a class that became mandatory for all students.

"Come on Lena, walk any slower and flobberworms will pass you," Veronica said jokingly as she pulled her friend along. They were the only two that had Defense this hour. Because so many people took it, it had to be divided up into four different periods. "Loren should be there waiting for us.

"Shut up. I'm walking as fast as I can," Alena grumbled as she tried to quicken her pace but felt no energy to really do it.

"Oh I'm sure you are," Vero said sarcastically as she grabbed the girls' wrist and dragged her along. They were going to be late if they continued at her pace.

"Yes please lead us," Alena said as she allowed herself to be dragged along, feeling with content that she didn't have to worry about catching up anymore.

"I think we all need to talk to Loren," Veronica said as they turned a corner and grew closer to the required classroom. Only another staircase and a couple corridors away. Merlin, Hogwarts is too big.

"Oh about what?" Alena questioned curiously as she rubbed her stomach absentmindedly but stopped when she realized people might stare at her wonderingly.

"About her behavior. Me and Fred checked the map and saw her down in the dungeons with Richard Watts, what she's doing with him I don't get. He's a womanizing prat," Vero stated angrily.

Alena raised her brow, perhaps was the time to mention their fight that took place a couple weeks. They both had been acting as if it never happened and Alena knew that Veronica is a good person, she just lost her way every now and then.

"Speaking of activity in the dungeons, you staying away from Green now?"

Veronica quickly let go of Alena and looked at her with annoyance, "Not that again. Please I don't want to fight with you as well. Just let it go Alena," she pleaded.

Alena threw her arms up in defense, "I'm not trying to start a fight. I let it go, I'm just curious to know if you've spent any time together, that's it."

Sighing loudly, Veronica shook her head, "No I haven't. I know injecting is bad. But I was feeling stressed with school and well Joseph offered, so I took it," she said with a shrug. Everyone did stupid stuff, its second nature for teens to fuck up at some point. Doing crazy drugs just happened to be Veronica's moment.

"If you're stressed then smoke, but please don't inject. That stuff will kill you or drive you insane. You remember what happened to Miranda?" Alena said with a shudder as she remembered the crazy blond girl that had gone absolutely mental in her Sixth Year, Alena's Fourth. The poor girl had injected too much and it made her hallucinate to the point where she came screaming into the Great Hall half naked with her head shaved. It was absolutely terrifying and made Alena never want to try injecting Goblins Lair.

"Oh God, I won't end up like that. I haven't even done it for almost a month. I'm fine Lena really," Veronica said as they came to a stop in front of the classroom door and squeezed her arm lovingly.

Alena gave a small smile, "Good. I'd go mad if I lost you too. And if I see you doing it again, I won't hesitate to curse you," she said playfully as they entered the room.

Veronica grinned at her; she knew how protective Alena could be, even if it was drastic at some points. But she did mean it when she said she was stopping. She knew she didn't need those drugs. Finding happiness or relief shouldn't come from a needle that could potentially kill you. No happiness is worth death.

"God let this class go by quick," Alena grumbled as she took a seat next to Loren, who had been talking to William previously. She stopped and smiled at the two girls.

"Hey you two," she said sweetly as she tucked her hair behind her ear and acted as if everything was carefree. Vero smiled at her but Alena eyed Zabini suspiciously. What was he doing talking to Loren? Last she checked, they weren't exactly friends. Therefore, there was no reason for him to be sitting with them unless they were up to something.

"What are you doing here Zabini?" Alena demanded, not even bothering with a greeting. Her body began to shake with an odd feeling, something is wrong.

"What no 'hello Will, lovely seeing ya' greeting? I'm hurt Lena, truly," William said dramatically as he clutched his chest with a fake pain.

"Not today. Now answer my question," Alena asked as she dropped her bag and continued to stare at him. The feeling that something was wrong wouldn't go away. Her head began to spin, but she ignored it.

"Nothing, just sitting with my good friend Loren," he said with a grin.

"Good friend? Since when exactly?" Alena questioned, her stomach lurching as white spots appeared in her vision. Something is definitely not right.

"Does it matter? Why, are you jealous Alena?" He asked teasingly, this was of course part of his plan on finding out what Alena is hiding for him.

However, before Alena could even make a retort, her vision went completely black and she found herself slowly falling out of her chair and onto the ground, the last thing she heard was Veronica screaming her name before silence filled her ears.


	7. Chapter 7

A couple days had passed since Alena's fainting spell, which had caused quite uproar in class and a dramatic entrance to the Hospital Wing from James. He nearly barged the door down and when he had found out that Alena passed out, he had bolted. Thoughts of her being hurt and the baby had worried him sick. Thankfully, Madam Hodge had done several checks and the baby was safe, it was merely exhaustion that made Alena faint.

Of course, Alena knew she had been stressing, but to the extent to make her actually pass out in class, she did not realize. After several lectures from not only Madam Hodge, but from James and Sabrina as well; she was released from the Hospital Wing. Countless questions were asked on what happened, and guiltily, Alena had lied to her friends about the truth. They couldn't know just yet, even if they were worried about her health.

"Come on Alena, have you finished packing?" Tiffany asked from the bathroom. Alena is currently sprawled out on her bed, with a book lying over her stomach and feet propped up on the bed post. Tomorrow they would be finally leaving for Winter Break and Alena couldn't be more nervous and thrilled at the same time. After these two weeks, her pregnancy will be officially announced and everyone will know. The judgmental looks and soft whispers would no doubt occur in the halls.

"Yeah, yeah, I've got everything I need," Alena called lazily from her spot, her eyes scanning over the book currently in her hands. It was about new mothers, but she had charmed the cover to look like a boring Advanced Charms book.

"You sure? Remember last year you said that but then scrambled to shove your stuff in the trunk?" Veronica said jokingly as she folded a pair of jeans and put them into her own colorful trunk.

"If you want, I can do it for ya?" Sasha asked from her perched spot on the bed. For some reason, Sasha had been extremely worried about Alena and her sudden ill behavior. Alena knew it was a matter of time before Sasha figured it out.

"Guys, it's fine. Everything is done, now let me read my bloody book," Alena groaned from her spot as she shifted to her side.

Veronica snorted with amusement, "You and that damn book. You've been reading it since you've gotten out of the Hospital. What's so special about it?"

Alena paused before answering, she knew that what she said had to be good, "You know I like reading up on my charms, and this just happens to be really interesting and has some good stuff. After all, you never know when I'm gonna be dueling."

"Speaking of duels, have you hexed Summit at all this month?" Tiffany asked curiously as she walked out of the bathroom, hair wrapped up in a towel, and robe covering her body.

Laughing loudly, Alena smirked, "Not really. The bint hasn't come around as much. I think she's finally realizing that she shouldn't piss me off."

"I still can't believe you set her hair on fire," Veronica commented with disbelief. That day was definitely in their memory book, and Alena is often reminded how bad her temper really can be.

"Yeah well I had detention for a bloody month, should've done more to her," Alena grumbled as she marked her page and closed her book. There is no way she'll be able to keep reading now.

"You could've gotten expelled! You got lucky you crazy bint!" Sasha said jokingly, as she tossed a pillow over at Alena, whom quickly dodged it and shot her the middle finger.

"Oh whatever," she groaned as she stood from the bed, "I'm gonna go see James before you lot decide to bring up more lovely memories of me torching Tamie Summit," Alena mumbled as she straightened her baggy sweatpants and lose fitting white shirt.

"We'd be here all night if that were the case," Veronica called out teasingly as Alena walked out the door and let it slam shut, ignoring her friends' laughs as she headed for the stairs.

As she was going down, Alena concentrated on her footsteps, one of her biggest fears now was falling down the stairs while being pregnant. Any harm that could possibly happen to her baby terrified the shit out of her and made her want to be extra cautious for everything. Without noticing, Alena had bummed into Dom.

"Oh err sorry," Dom said softly, as she shyly looked at Alena. They still hadn't really talked since their fight and though neither was angry any more, they still hadn't talked about what had happened.

"It's fine," Alena grunted as she sidestepped around Dom and began to walk but quickly stopped when Dom grabbed her wrist.

"Look Alena…I just…." Dom began to say but froze when she looked at Alena desperately. Alena couldn't remember the last time Dom had looked this helpless; her heart broke from guilt.

"Please don't say it Dommie, I already know. We're both rubbish best mates that say hurtful things," Alena sighed loudly.

Dominique gave a smirk before letting her wrist go, "You took the words right out of my mouth," she said before grabbing Alena and embracing her in a tight hug. "I am sorry though, and I'll never say such bitchy stuff again."

Alena laughed in Dom's shoulder, "Sure you will, but I'll still love you. We fight, and then get over it. Circle of life and all the crap."

Dominique pulled away and beamed at Alena, "So touching, but I'm glad we're okay."

"We'll always be okay Dommie. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go find my tosser boyfriend," Alena said with a mock salute and smile.

"See ya," Dom called as she watched Alena finish going down the stairs. She felt better now that she and Alena were on speaking terms again; a giant weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Alena made it downstairs safely and then quickly looked around to see if James was in any of his usual places, he wasn't. This meant he had to be upstairs in his dorm. Sighing loudly, Alena headed for the boys dormitory stairs and went up them but not nearly as slow like before.

"James!" Alena called up the stairs as she came close to the Seventh Year boys' dorm. She hated how far away the rooms were from each other, especially since Seventh Years are at the highest level. Finally, she reached the last door and pushed it open, not even bothering to knock.

"Oi! You could knock you know!" Damien called from his position on the floor, which is being sprawled out, a Quaffle in his hands.

"I know, but I won't," Alena sung out, as she pushed past the pile of dirty clothes and trash and jumped on to James bed. "Where's James?"

Fred pointed towards the bathroom door in answer, his eyes never leaving the map as he continued to frown at it. Alena was about to ask who he was watching when the bathroom door swung open and James walked out, his chest bare and wearing only his pajama pants.

"Well if I had known that when I go to the bathroom a beautiful lady appears on my bed, I might use it a lot more," James said teasingly as he walked over and pulled Alena up from her spot and hugged her warmly.

"Gross, please refrain from sickly comments while me and Fred are still in the room," Damien groaned as he stood up and tossed the Quaffle to a corner of the room, "I'm gonna make a raid to the kitchens, can I bring you lovebirds anything back?"

"I'll take some chocolate cake, pumpkin juice, and a papaya," Alena said, her mouthwatering at the mixture of foods in her mouth. Damien looked at her with revolt before shrugging.

"Alright, that sounds disgusting but whatever flies your broom, anything for you James?"

"Nah, I'm good," James said as he wrapped his arms around Alena's waist and held her tightly.

"I'll go with you," Fred grunted, his eyes never trailing from the map as he stood up and shuffled on his shoes.

"Splendid, no funny business you two," Damien called out as he walked out the dorm, the door shutting as Fred left too.

"And then there were two," Alena mused as she turned into James and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

"What brings you over to this side?" James murmured as he pulled away from the kiss and nuzzled his face into her hair.

"Oh just missing you, why should I leave?" She asked teasingly as she made to pull away but James tightened his grip and pulled her back onto his bed.

"Shut up. I'm always happy to see you, especially when you're wearing your sexy sweatpants," James said with a laugh, his face filling with mirth.

"Shut up prat," Alena replied as she smacked him in the chest before moving to sit on top of James. Their position was currently James lying on the bed, knees bent so Alena could lean back on them as she sat on his waist and trailed her fingers over his chest.

"James…" Alena finally said after a moment of silence. James had closed his eyes without realizing it; Alena's rubbing was just too soothing.

"Hmm?" He hummed in question, one eye cracking open to see Alena staring off into space with a look of distraught. He swiftly shot his eyes open and watched her curiously. Her brow began to crease with thought and he knew she was frustrated.

"What do you want to do when we leave Hogwarts? Like officially?" Alena finally asked as her eyes glazed over from the thought of never coming back to the place she had been living in for seven years of her life.

James frowned as he pushed himself up and leaned against the head board, his eyesight staring directly at Alena. The truth was, he didn't know. Sure he had thought about it a couple times and would muse over a couple ideas but none of them had been good enough for him. "Well, now that there's a baby on the way, I suppose I'll get a job that makes money right away so I can start supporting you."

At the sound of this, Alena frowned deeply, "I don't want you to give up one of your dreams for me," she said softly.

"You're my dream Alena. This baby is my dream now. I won't be giving anything up," James replied instantly.

"Now they are James. But I want to know about before. What were you planning once you left? Before you knew about me, before I was even in the picture," said Alena, her body shifting as she finally turned her face to look at James. Her face showed no signs of retreating. Having an answer was dire to her.

James shrugged unsurely; he was embarrassed to say he didn't actually have a set plan like everyone else. His father and mother often nagged him about looking at brochures and figuring out what he wants to do, but he just doesn't know right now. How can they expect a seventeen year old boy know what he wants to do for the rest of his life? Albus is the Quidditch player and Lily the Healer protégé, but him, James Potter, well he'll probably end up as the Potter screw up.

"James? Are you going to answer me or continue to stare at me like I asked you a Runes question?" Alena snapped, her patience waning thin. Mood swings had definitely begun to start, that or she's just grouchy.

"I never had a plan Alena!" James growled with irritation, he didn't want to deal with Alena's temper right now, and he definitely didn't want to answer questions about his future. "I was winging it and I'll probably still wing it!"

"You were going to wing it…"Alena said slowly, the words leaving a bad taste on her mouth. "Wing it? So you're gonna wing it with me and the baby? Live recklessly?" She said with pure disbelief as she pulled herself off of him and stood next to his bed, arms crossed over her stomach as if she was trying to shield the baby from his words.

"That's not what I meant," James said urgently as he pushed himself up and stared at Alena with furrowed brows, "Stop twisting my words. You're the one demanding all these answers and that's what came at the top of my mind."

"How can you not plan James? Hell, I even have a plan and I would party a hell of a lot more then you!" Alena raged, her eyes watering from an unknown emotion. Merlin tonight is just turning out to be a bad night for her.

"I never got around to it. Sure everyone talked about this and that, but I don't know, nothing seems good enough. It's different for you! You don't have anyone's shadow to live under. I have the world, waiting and watching to see me fuck up! And once they get ahold of this, well the tabloids will have a fucking field day. So, don't come at me with all this when I'm still trying to figure it out myself!" James shouted angrily as he pushed himself up and stood over Alena.

Alena frowned with anger, "Well gee, I am sorry for the inconvenience," she said with bitter sarcasm before continuing on, "But last time I checked, it takes two people to have sex James! You can't blame me for this, and if you really feel that this is a negative thing than perhaps our baby shouldn't be in your life at all!" She confirmed with a cold whisper.

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course I'll be in both of your lives. I don't understand why you're doing this. What's wrong?" James asked incredulously, his anger boiling down as he looked at the girl he has been in love with for almost two years now, with pure confusion.

"Nothing is wrong!" Alena spat, however tears began to drip from her eyes and trail down her cheek, she tried to wipe them away but James had gotten to it first.

"You're a shit liar Alena," James whispered as he grabbed her hand and pulled her close to his chest, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly as she sobbed into his chest.

"I…don't…know….I am so scared….James…" Alena cried in-between sobs. The reality had finally begun to sink in. As if it was the same night she had discovered she was first pregnant all over again; the world had come crashing. "How can we possibly be parents? We can barely take care of ourselves now!" She cried once more. Tears continued to pour down her face as James held her.

Mind racing, James wasn't sure what to say. The same thoughts had plagued him as well when he would be lying in bed at night. They weren't proper parents. They barely kept their grades at average. Both of them partied nonstop, taking part in multiple illegal activities, and Merlin did they fight. Yet, here they are, getting ready to have a baby in almost six months.

"We'll get through this, don't worry Alena," James soothed softly, as he rubbed circles into her back and decided to pull her down onto the bed with him. Alena wrapped her legs over his as she squeezed his hand and laid her head down on his chest.

"How can you be so sure?" She asked quietly after the tears had stopped coming and she could talk normally again.

"I'm not, but I want to think positive. After all, babies are positive and wonderful things. Perhaps, this is just what we needed to finally grow up," James mumbled as he stared up at his four poster bed ceiling.

"We're shitty people James. We don't deserve to have such a wonderful gift," Alena grunted as she pulled away and turned on her side, head facing away from him and making James shift his body so his arm wrapped around her stomach and chest against her back.

"Don't ever say that, you're extraordinary," he whispered into her ear, making goose bumps erupt on her bare skin.

Alena said nothing as she stared blankly at the curtain in front of her. She couldn't recall when James had decided to close them, but thought it was a good idea for when Damien and Fred get back they won't interrupt them. Thinking of Fred and Damien, where were they exactly? Usually kitchen raids didn't take this long, unless of course they ran into trouble or took a detour.

"I made a promise to you Alena, and I intend to keep it," James said quietly before he pulled her close and nuzzled his face into his pillow. Slowly his breath became steady as he fell asleep. Alena found herself dozing off to the rhythm of James' heartbeat, which was incredibly peaceful and sent her to sleep instantly.

"Rise and shine lovebirds! Time to get our shit together and head on home!" Damiens' voice cheered behind the closed curtains before he ripped them open and let the sunlight hit James and Alenas' faces.

"Gahh," Alena grumbled as she tried to shield her eyes by burying her face into James' side, who also began to groan.

"You're a real fuckwit," James mumbled, one eye cracking open to see Damiens' grinning face standing over them.

"Such morning people you two are. Now get your lazy arses up and start moving! We have two hours before the train leaves. And to be frank, I'm getting on with or without you bums," Damien said smugly as he grabbed for a clean shirt and pulled it over his head.

"You two were crashed out by the time we came back, so I ate your cake and drank the juice, but we still have your papaya Alena," Fred commented from his side of his bed as he threw another sweater into his trunk before slamming it shut.

"Well you took bloody forever to come back," Alena shouted back, but it came out mumbled as her face is still buried away from trying to avoid the sunlight.

Fred looked sheepish as he glanced over at Damien, whom shrugged in reply. He wasn't helpful whatsoever to him, "Yeah...err well we got into a minor argument with someone," he quickly mumbled but caught the attention of both James and Alena. James sat up, eyes wide with curiosity and Alena shifted on her side, elbow perched as she arched a brow.

"Please elaborate dear one," Alena called out, her body finally adjusting to the morning light, though she still felt groggy.

"Look we'll talk about it at breakfast, just get ready now," Fred said quickly, as he tried to change the subject and leave the room as soon as possible. He had secretly hoped that they would be to distracted with the excitement of going home, that they would forget to ask him what happened.

"Not so fast Freddy," Alena said as she waved her hand and the door slammed shut. Nonverbal spells were her specialty, which is why she was the top of the class in Charms and had a special tutor back home. "Now explain."

Fred sighed as he took a seat on his trunk and tousled his hair, James eyed him oddly. He couldn't remember the last time his cousin had looked this distraught over an argument. Who could it possibly be with and what the hell is it about?

"It's really not that big of deal, Damien back me up, please," Fred finally said dryly as he glanced over at Damien who's eyes went wide from being put on the spot.

"Alright, I'll set the scene. So we just left the room, heading downstairs. Common room completely empty so we continue to walk out the portrait. All is jolly and good, we crack a few jokes, tell a story or two, Fred still has his nose stuck in the map. But he's starting to pull away…" Damien starts saying, his arms flying around with animation.

"Get on with it Damien," James grunted as he stood up and stretched out his body, his eyes scanning the room for a shirt and jumper he can throw on.

"Hold on, let me build up to it!" Damien countered with a glare before smoothing down his shirt and glancing at Fred before adding on, "So everything is fine when all of a sudden Zabini appears around the corner, now I look over at Fred, who quickly stuffs the map into the back of his pocket and tries to appear casual."

"Wait, Will was there? What did he want?" Alena questioned as she sat up in bed, her curiosity reaching its peak.

"Ah, let me get there!" Damien said with annoyance, "We make small talk, before trying to step to the side and continue to our raid. However, Zabini had other ideas, he thought it'd be a bit fun to try and antagonize dear old Freddy."

"Antagonize how?" James asked with his jaw clenched. No one could compare to how much he hated William Zabini. The guy is a constant pain in the arse, especially when he tries to hang around Alena.

"He began to say ass remarks about James, and a couple about you," Fred finally interrupted, his eyes looking straight at Alena, who shot up from bed and began to pace.

"Continue, now," she deadpanned, her face turning somber.

"Well, he talked about how you will always go running back to him and that James is just a tool. Also, that we should be sure to stick around so we can pick up his broken pieces when you leave him," Fred mumbled. He hated telling his cousin this; he could see the anger glowing out of James.

"Son of a bitch, I'll strangle him," James said through gritted teeth as he made way for the door but was stopped by Damien who pushed him back.

"No you're not. For one, you don't have any real clothes on, and two, this isn't your problem to deal with," Alena said with a pointed look, "I'll be sure to take care of him."

"I don't need you to fight my battles," James growled with irritation as he grabbed the nearest shirt and jeans.

"Actually, it was my battle, and I thought I handled it splendidly," Fred quipped as he stood up and brushed off invisible dirt, "Gave him a good hex to the body before we dashed off. Warned him to keep his mouth shut."

Alena smirked with approval, "Lovely. I'll still talk to him though."

"I don't want you going anywhere near that prat," James spat, his temper finally cooling down as he messed with his hair and looked for a jacket. Alena rolled her eyes; she really didn't want to have this conversation again.

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course I'm gonna yell at him, he has no right to say any of those things. You can't stop me," Alena pronounced before shrugging and walking out the door before James could argue back.

"What do you think she'll do?" Damien wondered as he looked over at James, who continued to stare at the closed door with a frown.

"Don't know but whatever it is, it will definitely be interesting to watch," Fred said with amusement as he also headed for the door, deciding now is a good time to escape and go to the Great Hall for breakfast. The others agreed as they quickly followed after him. None of them wanted to miss the show that would occur at breakfast.

**A/N: Alright thank you so much for getting this far! I want to take a moment and give a special thanks to everyone that has put this story as a favorite. It's truly incredible. However, I must ask a favor from everyone. I would really appreciate a simple review just so I know that you guys like how this story is going? If there's anything about it that you need elaboration on or just want to say hi. Really, anything would be amazing. Moving on, the next chapter will be the breakfast showdown and the trip home. Thanks for caring! **


End file.
